


Hell's Flames

by AvixiLynn91



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game), Detroit: Become Human (Video Game) RPF
Genre: Anal Fingering, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Attempted Sexual Assault, Awkward Romance, Bottom Gavin Reed, Bottom Upgraded Connor | RK900, Childhood Trauma, Connor and Nines are friends, Dark Nines, Dark RK900, Deviant Upgraded Connor | RK900, Disturbing Themes, Emotional Manipulation, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Extremely Dubious Consent, Face Slapping, Falling In Love, Gaslighting, Gavin's not a detective, I'm going straight to hell for this shit, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Light Masochism, Light Sadism, M/M, Mild Gavin and Connor, Obsession, One-Sided Attraction, Phone Sex, Post-Battle for Detroit (Detroit: Become Human), Power Imbalance, Power Play, Psychological Drama, Psychological Torture, Psychopath in Love, RK900-Nines, Serial killer Gavin Reed, Shared madness, Shower Sex, Slapping, Slightly different AU, Stockholm Syndrome, Top Gavin Reed, Top Upgraded Connor | RK900, Weird Sex, fuck fest, wait i've got condos there nevermind
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-04-07
Packaged: 2019-10-08 09:20:21
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 25
Words: 120,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17383880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AvixiLynn91/pseuds/AvixiLynn91
Summary: Gavin is a serial killer who's being tracked by Connor, Nines, and Hank. One day, when Nines get separated from his team, Gavin kidnaps him and holds him prisoner. As captor and captive interact, they soon realize that although they're different, they're forming a strange bond...





	1. Death and Misfortune

**Author's Note:**

> This is a slightly different twist in the DPD fics I write! Gavin is obviously a serial killer and NEVER worked for the DPD in this fic!! *as my description and tags imply* Nines is our goody-two-shoes who is besties with Hank and Connor!  
> There will be some gore and torture in this fic, but none of it involves Nines, don't worry!

 

**Hell’s Flames**

The media called him ‘The Detroit Reaper’. The world simply knew him as another mass murderer. But to everyone in the Detroit Police Department, he was nothing more than a horrible serial killer who simply enjoyed stalking his victims before he kidnapped them and brutally took away their lives. Though he mostly preyed on androids, there were a huge number of missing humans as well.

Male, female, young, old, none of it mattered to the Reaper. Death was unbiased and unkind, and all he had to do was knock on your door and you knew your time was up.

That’s how things were in the early summer of 2039 in Detroit, much to everyone’s dismay. Everyone was living in fear, panic, and in a state of constant worry. No one seemed safe, no place seemed to hold a sanctuary or refuge as every citizen in Detroit seemed to walk with their head turned backwards. Everyone had to grow eyeballs in the back of their heads, and you can’t go anywhere outside without looking behind you constantly.

It was no way to live, and people were soon growing angrier by the day. President Warren soon was flooded by questions of concern from the general public, and she put all the pressure on the DPD as they all knew the threat and the issue the Detroit Reaper posed.

But it seemed as if the Detroit Reaper knew that this was going to happen, even though a large portion of Detroit’s plans were kept out of the media. The Reaper soon began sending terrifying letters and messages to the DPD, almost mocking and laughing at everyone within it, especially Captain Fowler.

The Reaper was growing quite bold when he sent a specific letter telling Captain Fowler he would never be able to catch him. A very bold move, but it seemed true. The Reaper never left any clues, and all his letters were typed, not handwritten. Not a single trace of a fingerprint could be found on the letters he sent, and he always sent them in from different locations with a strange stamp that no one in the DPD was able to trace to anywhere in North America.

Whatever leads the DPD had soon fizzled out, and although a few persons of interest were soon pulled in, everyone knew it was a joke and only a move on Captain Fowler’s part to silence the public and the reporters constantly dropping in and spying on the DPD, hoping for any news or a story…

Things were growing more and more wild and out of control by the day, and it seemed as if the android officers and detectives were left stumped as the victim body count grew exponentially.

Connor and Nines were soon partnered up with Hank Anderson, which was an obvious sign to the androids that things were really taking a turn for ‘out of control’. Hank Anderson was already heading towards an early retirement, but since the rise of the Reaper, he had to be forcefully dragged back in the precinct, and he was on the case as soon as possible.

It was practically impossible to track down the Reaper even though there were two highly advanced androids and a very seasoned, experienced Lieutenant working the case. Fowler seemed to have faith, and he believed in them, however.

He instructed other officers to stay out of their way, and soon, Nines, Hank, and Connor had majority of their days to themselves as they worked the case with whatever little evidence they had.

It was tough even finding the victim’s bodies, however, as the Reaper often kept them somewhere as a souvenir for his disgustingly horrendous crimes. Oftentimes, however, parts of bodies would be discovered almost accidentally by joggers or bikers near parks, ravines, woods and forests, or in the backyards of private property. It was all accidental, and Nines and Connor told Hank that the Reaper meant to place the bodies there at random.

It was true, for there was no pattern as to where the bodies were dumped, or when they were found, even. Sometimes, half the bodies discovered were months old, even, as they were badly decomposing. Others were practically barely a week old, the blood and flesh almost still glowing with life…

It was all very odd, and with the Reaper not behaving in a simple, regular pattern, the media flew into a frenzy and rumors spread that the Reaper had ‘demons’ working under him. It was a stupid idea to entertain, and Captain Fowler tried meeting with the President to sort it out, but she said that whatever the public wanted to believe about the Reaper was probably best.

It seemed as if the Reaper enjoyed the inaccurate attention, and as the public and media went mad, the letters and bragging soon slowed down.

“Let him have all the limelight he wants,” Captain Fowler breathed down at the trio working the case one day, “I don’t give much of a fuck, as long as he stops harassing this fucking department!”

That unfortunately backfired, and soon, phone calls began flooding Fowler’s office. But the Reaper never spoke in his true voice, and he often masked his voice with an app or a program on the phones he used that made his voice almost monotone and many octaves deeper than a man’s voice could go.

The bastard didn’t even stay on the phone long enough to be traced, and he always used different numbers and different phones every time he made a call. Hank soon caught on that the Reaper was probably purchasing disposable phones, and that made it all the more impossible to track him down.

It was a situation that had baffled the entire police department, and very soon, Captain Fowler warned that if they were unable to handle it, the case would be heading off into FBI territory. No one wanted Richard Perkins or Captain Allen getting involved, for if that happened, the public would definitely stop trusting the DPD.

It seemed as if no one knew what else to do with the case, and as Hank and Connor sat beside Nines in the small meeting room they usually met in so as to make sure no one else overheard their conversations, it was obvious that the Lieutenant was the first to become fed up with the case first.

Hank Anderson had his hair pulled back in a small ponytail that usually symbolized he was trying to focus and work hard on his thoughts as he organized them while focusing intently on the screen of the laptop resting before him on the rectangular table in the center of the room. Connor sat next to him dressed in a brown suit and black tie as he stared back and forth between Hank and the laptop, as if waiting for either of them to say or do something.

Nines felt comfortable enough in his CyberLife uniform, even though he often received many questions and quips about it from other officers who knew he was deviant, yet wondered why he always kept the same uniform. Recently, Nines had tried changing his wardrobe, but whenever he had, he’d usually dress himself up in either entirely grey or black clothing.

That seemed like an even more negative thing, and pretty soon, days after he showed up to the DPD dressed like that, people asked him who died, and whose funeral he was attending…

Humans and their sarcasm. It was a thing he would never get used to, no matter how hard he tried, so he soon gave up on it and decided to put all his energy and concentration on the case.

Hank slammed a clenched fist down on the table as he slammed the laptop lid shut. “I can’t even think anymore!!”

Connor seemed troubled also, and he gently placed a hand on Hank’s shoulder in a move of comfort. “Hank, it’ll be okay.”

Hank pointed a finger into Connor’s nose, causing the android’s eyes to go wide.

“Don’t you fucking tell me shit like that, Connor!”

Nines agreed, “It’s not ‘okay’, Connor,” he looked down at his feet, “nothing about this situation is ‘okay’.”

“Not until we have this son of a bitch in the gas chamber, anyway.” Hank grumbled as he scratched his beard and started tapping his feet on the floor.

There was a knock at the door, suddenly, and it broke them out of their anger and frustration. It was another officer letting them know that Captain Fowler wished to seem them in his office.

They walked slowly into the man’s office, closing the door behind themselves as they stood around his desk, not even bothering to sit down due to their frustration and nerves. Captain Fowler seemed to get the picture, and he too was in an angry state as he tore off his black tie and threw it onto his desk as he rubbed his forehead.

An open bottle of Ibuprofen told them everything they needed to know, and they took extra caution and care to speak softly and slowly.

“Another call came in a few minutes ago…” Captain Fowler growled as he rubbed his head furiously. “I don’t know how much more of this taunting I can take…”

Hank groused, “I bet he was cackling into the phone for almost twenty seconds, am I right?”

A glare from the Captain told him he wasn’t incorrect.

Connor stepped closer to the desk, “Why can’t we just send people to patrol the streets, Captain? This is clearly getting out of hand!”

Captain Fowler grabbed his tie, crumpling it in his hands as he shook it near Connor’s face. “Are you suggesting I don’t know how to do my job, Connor?”

Connor gasped, and was trying to respond when the tie was flung in his face rudely.

“Because that’s a step short of suicide, kid!!”

Hank held up two hands, “I don’t think we need to resort to threatening each other, Jeffrey,” he smiled as Connor gave him an appreciative glance and nod.

Captain Fowler sat back in his chair as he glared up at all three of them, “I’m not going to send anyone out, because it’ll only create more suspicion in the eyes of the public, plus, everyone’s already on edge.”

“Of course, it was only a suggestion, Captain.” Connor looked down angrily, but Fowler waved him off.

He rose from his seat behind his desk as he walked around and leaned against it as he stood before the trio. “There has been a lot of suspicious activity around _Jon’s Supermarket_ downtown…”

They all looked up in fright.

“Relax,” Fowler sighed as he wiped some sweat off his forehead, “I highly doubt the Reaper is trying to get his grocery shopping done, but I want you three to head in tomorrow morning and just have a look around, alright?”

Hank smirked, “I know you, Jeffrey, you wouldn’t be sending us in randomly like this if you didn’t have a worry that the Reaper is stalking his next victim.”

“Perhaps he is,” Fowler began as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared seriously at Hank, “but that’s not _your_ job to ask, Anderson!”

Hank sighed, but Fowler kept going, “You’re an _employee_ and a protector of the public!”

“That’s part of your damn job, and that includes shutting the hell up and doing what I say without asking any stupid questions, got it?”

Nines finally spoke up as he held his hands in his lap tightly. “With all due respect, Captain,” he began as politely as he could while offering their boss a half-smile, “this is the first time you’re sending us on a task without giving us proper details and thorough explanations.”

Connor nodded and his eyes squinted at Fowler, “It seems as if you don’t trust us…”

Fowler grumbled and muttered to himself as he shook his head. He cleared his throat and looked up at the ceiling as he exhaled loudly. “Listen, assholes,” he scratched the top of his head and rubbed it as he looked down at the floor, thinking for a moment.

“The Reaper is getting too smart, and if I had an educated guess, I’d say our officers are acting in ways that give off the impression that they’re obviously searching for him a little _too_ hard.”

Hank and Connor exchanged confused looks.

“If I send you all into that supermarket with exact and specific details, the Reaper will notice it, and _if_ there’s a chance he’s there, he’ll run away faster than my ex-wife did on our wedding night!!”

The office was silent and the air was stale as they all knew Captain Fowler was right. They had to keep a low profile, but also a most simplistic, natural one.

Fowler pointed at all three of them slowly, “Luckily, you three have yet to really show your faces out there in public, so there’s a good chance the Reaper doesn’t even know who the fuck you are,” he lowered his hand and wiped his palms on his dress pants uniform. He was likely very nervous about this, which made all three of his employees even more nervous vicariously.

“I expect you three to keep it that way, and just report back on any suspicious activity.”

Connor quirked an eyebrow, “That’s it?”

“That’s _it_ ,” Fowler growled out at him, “now can you handle that or not, Connor?”

Nines answered quickly as he offered Fowler a confident smile while standing to his full height like a soldier. “We can handle it, Captain,” he smiled at his partners, “we’ve got this.”

Fowler nodded, placing his hands on his hips as he walked back to his seat at the desk, “I sure as shit hope you’re as confident on the inside about it as you sounded just now, Nines.”

Sadly, Nines wasn’t, but he knew he had to be as he walked back to the meeting room with his partners.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Nines was dressed completely in black when he left his apartment that morning. He kept his dress shoes, but wore casual dark pants that were freshly ironed, and a black sweater he hid beneath a black raincoat as he waited for Hank and Connor to pick him up outside his apartment.

It was a soggy, rainy morning despite being late May. Nines didn’t mind it as he watched the little raindrops make interesting shapes and ripples in the small puddles on the streets and sidewalks. Colorful umbrellas of all shapes and sizes breezed by him as people walked about cautiously.

Nines knew they were tense, and he couldn’t help but also feel the same way, even when Hank and Connor pulled up along the sidewalk and ushered him into the backseat of Hank’s small car. They headed for _Jon’s Supermarket_ silently and slowly, the entire car-ride very awkward and strange.

Not wanting them to remain in the awkward air that had surrounded them, Nines looked out the window as he spoke to his partners, “I don’t understand still why we’re supposed to be at such a random location.”

Hank grumbled as he scratched his beard while Connor played with the radio in the passenger seat. “I guess Fowler thinks that the next victim may be abducted there, seeing as the Reaper is so fucking weird like this.”

Nines saw the grey clouds above growing darker and darker, making the morning even more dreary than ever. “None of the victims seemed to know their attacker, so it’s highly unlikely that the Reaper is related to any of them.”

Hank nodded as he looked at Nines in the rearview mirror, “Right, that’s what’s also bothering me,” he coughed as he turned on the windshield wipers when the rain poured down heavily again.

“…It’s getting so difficult to try and find a motive for this bastard…”

Nines offered him a genuine smile. “We’ll find him, Lieutenant,” he knew he shouldn’t have spoken it out like a promise, but Hank didn’t seem to mind it as he tossed Nines a smile in return.

“Yeah.”

They soon reached the parking lot of the supermarket, and despite the promise of danger and death hanging all around the city, the parking lot was pretty packed as they found a parking spot and got out of the car.

They ran towards the entrance, eager to get out of the rain as the automatic doors pushed open upon sensing them near.

The interior of the supermarket was rather cold, but pretty busy. People were pushing their carts around or holding onto their shopping baskets as they walked around the Fresh Produce section, eager to stock up on food items they needed.

Nines led the way as they gazed around the Fruits and Vegetable isles, noticing how freshly the apples and oranges glowed beneath the bright lights above. The isles were humming and buzzing, as were the large fridges and freezers as they made their way over to the Frozen Food and Dessert isles. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but they all knew that shouldn’t be something to overlook and ignore.

They tried making it seem like they too were shopping, as Hank grabbed a randomly discarded basket off the floor and grabbed some onions and mushrooms. He put them inside the basket as Connor watched him with a curious head tilt.

Hank smirked up at him, “Kill two birds with one stone…”

Connor snickered, “Fridge empty again?”

“Yep!” Hank slowly walked around Nines as he selected other things he apparently needed, and Connor followed closely behind him, almost as if he wanted to be a shield for Hank.

Nines was growing more nervous by the second, and he nearly jumped in fright when the timed water sprinklers poured down water over the lettuce, beets, leaks, and other leafy greens in the Produce racks. He was even more jumpy when he heard the small ‘ding’ of the scales hanging from the ceilings when a shopper placed a bag of meat inside the circular metal dish to weigh it.

“Nines!”

He turned when Connor whispered at him to keep up. He straightened himself out, shaking his head at his previous actions as he kept his eyes on the backs of his partners.

What was wrong with him?! He was a strong machine capable of taking down any armed suspect!! He had nothing to fear or worry about, especially with two equally strong and trained partners! He tossed it all off to being a new deviant and still unable to control his emotions. 

While Nines enjoyed being a deviant as opposed to a cold, calculating machine, there were many drawbacks to this new state of his existence he certainly didn't find particularly enjoyable. Unpredictability was one of these things, but he knew he had to simply get used to it and accept that this was his new life. There wasn't a lot he could remember regarding his previous life before Connor had found him right when CyberLife had to forcefully shut down after the Android Peaceful Demonstration. 

Nines knew the entire purpose of his creation was for destruction, war, and violence, but now that things were so peaceful between androids and humans, there was no need for that side of him. He had to be reprogrammed and remodeled mentally, but he didn't mind as he found deep and reliable friendship in Hank and Connor that had provided him with enough comfort and solace for months.

While that was going on, Nines still felt that he was almost 'betraying' the public for not being as sharp and keen as he should have been.

He felt he was slipping, but it was about time for a little break when he saw Hank and Connor at a self-checkout isle. There were a few other people in line before them, so Nines figured he had enough time for a small moment to himself.

Giving them time enough to do what they had to, Nines decided to head out the exits of the grocery store and gaze out at the rainy weather before him. He watched as a few more shoppers exited the grocery store, weaving their way around him and past him as they practically sped off towards their cars in a hurry. They had their hoods and umbrellas draped over their heads for protection, and Nines could barely see anything else as the rain beat down heavier and heavier by the minute.

He looked down at the ground and saw a few trampled, bloody worms mashed up from the heavy footsteps of people running over them. A few of them twisted and churned in pain, and Nines felt something tugging at his mind and conscience, suddenly.

Although they were little creatures, Nines felt badly for them. He bent down and studied one in particular. It was half-inside a pothole puddle, and half-wriggling-outside it. It was almost severed right in the middle…

He felt sorry for the condition it was in, and he didn't want to save it, since he knew it was highly unlikely it would remain alive for long. Nines wished to 'help' it and make its death a more peaceful, gentle one, and he decided then and there to guide the worm back into the water it was clearly trying to make its way towards painfully.

Nines gaped at it, his LED light yellow as it reflected in the murky surface of the small pothole puddle. He reached down and was about to gently push the worm back in the water when he saw a hooded, shadowy figure behind him hovering above his right shoulder…

Before Nines could reach into his pocket for his gun, he was bashed over the back of the head by something heavy and blunt. His vision began to turn into a bunch of messy, jumbled static, and he fell forward on the asphalt. He was barely able to press his palms against the wetness of the cold ground when the heavy object was rammed into his skull one more time with brute force.

His audio receptors buzzed and hummed, and he began blinking rapidly as he tried stabilizing his balance, system, vision, everything. He was losing control over it all slowly, and he fought to get back up on his knees.

He just needed one good look at his attacker, and that’d be it…

Unfortunately, the object was slammed against his skull one last time, and Nines felt himself collapsing on the ground heavily as his vision slowly began fading.

Everything was closing off as his sight turned black, the world before him shutting down within seconds.

At least he could still hear the rain pouring down steadily, but it was very faint as heavy footsteps soon stood before him.


	2. Cat and Mouse

When Nines finally came to, he realized that he wasn’t in his apartment or in the DPD. Someone had shifted him while he was unconscious, and he had been dozing in and out as he felt strong hands grabbing him and throwing him down onto a rough floor. There must have been something else inside the room with him, and Nines felt it as he crawled blindly on top of it.

His mind told him it must have been a mattress or a blanket, but he couldn’t see anything still, even though his eyes were half-open. His vision was slowly starting to readjust when he heard a door opening and closing.

He assumed the sounds were coming from above, and he heard thumping and footsteps right above his head when bits and pieces of his vision began returning. It wasn’t as clear as it once was, but Nines quickly ran a self-scan and determined that it would take at least five hours for his vision to return and repair back to normal.

Having no other choice but to wait it out, he lay flat on the mattress in the room as he heard the footsteps grow silent before they were heard making their way down some stairs and right before a door.

It must have been the door to the room he was held in, for it opened with a small ‘squeak’.

Nines expected whoever it was to walk right in the room and start speaking to him, but whoever it was standing in the doorway didn’t do such a thing. Nines could barely make them out, but he saw the same hooded figure that he was sure had attacked him in the parking lot of the supermarket.

Though he was too weak to conduct a bio-scan, Nines was positive the individual was a male, and that he was meaning to hurt him as he glared down menacingly at him. The hood was lowered, but in the dim lights, Nines still was unable to map out any facial features.

He didn’t wish to talk to the man, so he didn’t. He merely held his head down and pretended to be asleep, when he felt ice-cold water poured on top of his head.

While Nines didn’t react as a human would have from the ice-cold sensation, he was still shocked as the water dripped all over his head. He moved gently as he felt his wet hair. The man standing before him said nothing as he simply turned and slammed the door behind him.

The last thing Nines heard was the clanking of the bucket that had once contained the cold water he was now drenched in.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Nines had estimated that at least three hours had passed before the door to the room where he was staying in opened again. Heavy footsteps dragged their way inside, but still, the man who was holding him captive said not a single word to him.

Nines didn’t care, as he still didn’t want to engage the man in a conversation. It wasn’t as if he was going to be told anything truthful, but he needed to understand what kind of a situation he was in, and what the man wanted…

His tongue felt heavy in his throat, and Nines had to wonder how and why he’d been able to speak, but he definitely had when he asked the man:

“What do you want from me?”

His repairs were still ongoing as his voice sounded a little shaky, but he waited patiently for the man to speak…hoping he would speak…

The man didn’t at first, and Nines’ system alerted him to the fact that a cigarette had been lit. He smelled it a little later, but he didn’t mind it as androids weren’t as sensitive to these things as humans often were…

“What do you want from me?” He repeated the question a little louder, as if it would coax the man into answering him. But it didn’t, and Nines felt he was being stared at.

He still couldn’t see much of anything, but he knew the man’s eyes were on him.

The man blew a puff of smoke into his face, and Nines held his head up as he faced the dark, mushy shadow that he supposed was the man’s face.

No words were spoken for some time before the man flicked the ashes of his cigarette down onto Nines’ head.

This man was clearly mentally unwell, and Nines didn’t wish to repeat his question anymore. He knew he wasn’t going to get a clear response, so he stopped hoping for one. Perhaps this man just wanted to torture him…

A cold thought suddenly hit him.

What if this man was the Detroit Reaper?

He couldn’t be…the Detroit Reaper usually killed his victims on the spot, so they said. Yet if that was the case, then why was Nines still alive?

This man wasn’t the Reaper…

Nines wanted to ask him whether or not he was the Reaper, but again, he knew it would be as useful as milking a stone. The man was going to toy with him and ignore the question.

Nines shifted on the mattress, raising a hand so he could block out some of the light in the hallway behind the man, but the man swiped his hand beneath Nines’ as he tried moving himself up and off the mattress. Nines came crashing down onto his chest roughly, and the man grabbed the back of his neck as he shoved Nines’ face hard against the dirty mattress.

If he had meant to smother him, it was a stupid idea. Androids couldn’t be killed that way, but something about this particular individual told Nines he wasn’t ‘stupid’ or foolish…this was a form of torture, and the man must have been enjoying it.

He rubbed Nines’ head and face against the mattress a few times as if he were a puppy who had pissed all over his owner’s floors. There was shame to this type of behavior displayed, and all Nines could do was close his eyes and bear it as the man finally let go of his neck.

In a little under two hours, his vision would be restored and he would be able to see things a lot better, so it was wiser to wait it out rather than attack the man or ask him questions and run the risk of angering him.

The man soon grew bored of this odd treatment, and he eventually left the room, slamming the door once again behind him.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

He was in a small, dirty room that had only a chair leaning against one wall. The mattress he was on was badly singed and stained with dried blood…

Nines tried looking for a way out once he got up to his feet and tried the door, but it was locked. Of course. It was never going to be that easy.

There were no windows in this room, and if Nines had to guess, he thought it was probably a room much like a closet, only bigger than the average closet.

The floorboards were singed and burnt in a few areas, and they groaned loudly whenever Nines moved along them. He was thankful he still had his clothes on, but his shirt was beyond wet after the man had poured the water on his head.

He tried scanning the room a few times, but was unsuccessful. While his vision had returned, majority of his other abilities were too slow to render useful. It was hopeless, and he decided to sit back in the center of the room again when the doorknob shifted, and the door was being unlocked…

Nines threw himself onto the mattress flatly, pretending he was asleep once again as the door opened slowly with another ‘creak’. The lights in the hall were shut off immediately, making it harder to see the man.

His hoodie was pulled up again, and he walked inside the room slowly. He was wearing black combat boots and black jeans as he made his way over to Nines and knelt down beside him. Neither Nines nor the man stirred or said anything for the longest time. It seemed as if they were now playing some sort of a game; whoever was the first to talk or move was going to definitely pay for it.

Nines wasn't sure what to do in a situation like this, considering it was the first time he'd ever been abducted. He could only hope and wish that Connor and Hank soon noticed that he had been abducted and taken away from them back at the supermarket, and that the two would hopefully alert Captain Fowler and the rest of the Detroit Police Department so they would soon come looking for him.

That was all the little hope that Nines had to hang on to, and he suddenly realized that majority of abduction and kidnap victims also probably suffered the same fate; find what little hope they could in any small symbol or sign that was given off at any special moment. It was a rather weak and minor thing he could do, and he had to wonder if the minuscule hopes he was fastening onto were even worth it in the first place. Nines knew he had no other choice as he heard and felt the man breathing down in his face.

The man’s breath was like that of a fire-breathing dragon; hot, putrid, and disgusting. It had no stench or smell to it, but only that of the faint scent of tobacco that came from the cigarette he’d smoked a few hours ago. Noticing this was good news for Nines, as it is meant that his system’s functions were slowly being restored and repaired...hopefully, it wouldn’t be much longer before he would be able to contact Conner and let him know where he was…except, he had no idea where he really was.

He tried not letting this grim fact of life upset or deter him, and instead, he focused on trying to pretend that he was out cold or asleep as the man silently watched him.

It seemed that the man was more than captivated by Nines sleeping than anything else in the room. He didn’t move for the longest time and Nines was not going to bother opening an eyelid to check what the man was doing. He simply didn’t want to know as long as the man didn’t harm him in any way.

Most of his inner ramblings and thoughts were interrupted when the man placed a large hand on the back of his head. Nines still didn't move as he allowed the other man’s hand to just rest there in his hair for a few minutes. It was simply an unwelcome heavy weight that refused to move for the time being and would only move if the man wanted it to.

That was still an unnerving thought, as Nines didn’t usually welcome touches like this unless it was from Connor or Hank. The few times they had touched Nines was usually for the purposes of a small welcoming handshake or a hug; nothing more, nothing less.

But this gesture was odd, alien, foreign and very strange. It certainly wasn’t an affectionate gesture bestowed upon him; the man suddenly began tugging on a few of Nines’ hair strands.

Nines knew the man was doing this to try to get some sort of reaction out of him, and all he could do was lie still as he tried not to focus on his system alerting him of danger and threats interacting with him and invading his personal space.

He was facing huge communication overflow in his system, but there was nothing much he could do as the man continuously tugged on a few of his hair strands. Luckily, he wasn’t trying to rip anything out or cause him any further harm or damage. Has strong fingers simply raked back and forth through Nines’ hair a few times before he seemed to grow bored of this gesture.

Nines focused on keeping his eyes firmly shut, but he soon heard the floorboards squeaking as the man bent down and placed a palm of his hand down on them as he leaned against Nines’ ear and whispered very eerily, yet softly.

“If you’re gonna play a game with me, at least make sure you know the rules of the game first.”

Before Nines could focus on what the words meant, a heavy fist smashed against his face and knocked him out for the second time in less than a day.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

From the little bits Nines was able to remember, the man’s voice was slightly deep, yet soft…

He wasn’t sure if he’d meant to make his voice sound like that on purpose, but it sounded nothing like the strange, eerie calls the Detroit Reaper would often make to Jeffrey Fowler’s office. Nines still refused to let his suspicions go just based on that; after all, the Reaper was probably using a wide range of masks to do what he did best: blend in and hide.

He didn’t have much else going for him where he could logically put the pieces together and say with confidence that this man whom he’d yet to see was indeed the Detroit Reaper, but something in his nature told him the man was a strong candidate and a good match for the Reaper.

When Nines had woken again, the man was gone from the room. Nines assumed that the man had been in the building he was currently stored in, for he still heard the heavy, dull footsteps above his head every so often.

He was sure he was the only one in the building, for he was unable to hear anyone else or anything else, no matter how hard and how silently he tried to listen.

There wasn’t much for Nines to do except lie down and play dead whenever he heard footsteps right above his head or on the other side of the door. Surprisingly, the man never entered the room for the next few hours while Nines tried listening and reading his movements. There was no specific or notable pattern to them; the man just did whatever he wanted at random.

Sometimes, he would stop right before the door, playing with the doorknob like a child a few times before he would kick the door roughly with his boots. Other times, he would simply pace the hallways outside the door back and forth before scratching at the door with what Nines thought was probably a knife.

Nines had absolutely no idea what to do with someone as unpredictable as this, and all he could do was sit still and remain silent for as long as possible. Perhaps if he played dead the man would give up and go away? Would that be enough for him to leave him alone?

There was nothing for Nines to work with as he thought of making an escape route. The room had nothing inside it, and the man must’ve known exactly what he was doing when he abducted an android; not having to bring him meals or utensils to eat with…

Nines had nothing he could fashion a weapon out of, and nothing he could use to dig a hole in the walls or the door in hopes of getting out or getting someone’s attention…

But he still tried, and he searched the room as best as he could. He felt his way along the walls carefully and slowly, assessing each of them for any signs of holes, weak spots, or moldy areas that would definitely be able to break and fall through from a single kick or punch.

It seemed like luck and fate was not on his side; the walls were as thick and sturdy as any other building Nines had been in. He was even sure that if he started yelling or screaming no one would be able to hear, even if they were right outside of the building. There was a high chance that the walls were soundproof, hence why the lack of windows in the first place.

There had been clear planning put into something like this, and it was then that it occurred to Nines that this wasn’t the first time the man had done something like this…

This wasn’t an act of random aggression or violence or random abduction; this was carefully plotted and planned and exercised to go down without a single room for error.

This seemed to be the work of someone very well versed in areas like this; not a nervous first timer or a fledgling criminal.

These thoughts helped to support Nines’ original theory that this man was indeed the Detroit Reaper. But of course, he would only be able to present these theories and thoughts to Captain Fowler once he actually made it out of this damn room in one piece… _if_ he ever did.

His will to survive was increased by 100% and he kept searching the room as thoroughly as he could. Unfortunately, after an hour of searching, Nines knew that there was nothing he could work with or nothing he could do; the room was as tightly sealed as a glass jar. He would be surprised if a single bug was able to crawl in, if at all.

He collapsed after he was finished with his searching, and it seemed that he had the timing down properly. Seconds after he collapsed into an exhausted heap in the center of his mattress, the doorknob was unlocked, and the door was pushed open slowly once again.

Once again, the man who had held Nines captive for hours had entered the room. This time, Nines was able to see more of his face properly. He was still wearing his hood over his head, but the lights the hallway carried inside the room showed Nines that the man had the face an individual not much older than in his mid-thirties.

He had a strange scar that ran from his nose up to the beginning corner of his right cheek. A few strands of dark brown hair fell over his forehead and right above his dark brown eyebrows. Nines was unable to see the color of his eyes, but as he tilted his head in the right angle, he saw that they were a grey-blue shade.

The man said nothing as he simply walked inside the room and stopped until he was a couple of inches away from Nines. He bent down so they were on level and he finally pushed back the hood of his sweater.

The eyes that stared back at Nines were indeed a little bit unnerving and disturbing; they held some sort of coldness in them that was unbecoming for a human…the look would probably suit that of a machine or an android that had yet to go deviant, but definitely not a human being.

Nines felt himself unable to look away as he simply held the man’s gaze in his own. That action seem to ignite something within the man, and he flashed his sharp white teeth at Nines, almost resembling some sort of vampire or monster.

He didn’t know why he was unable to look away. All he could do was keep eye contact with the man, hoping that eventually it would break something within him.

It was a foolish game Nines was playing and the man soon stopped smiling as he frowned darkly and viciously at Nines.

“I usually don’t have many people looking me right in the eyes like this, you know,” he said with a dull, monotone voice.

Nines finally looked away, having the ability to read between the lines as the man scratched his five o’clock shadow as his eyes shined darkly.

“I don’t usually abduct androids, but I just couldn’t resist it when you were bent over in the rain trying to help that worm…” his voice had turned into a whisper, practically, and it made Nines swallow in a fit of anxiety.

“…you’re so fucking pathetic, you know.” The statement was spoken like a fact, although it was meant to be an insult. Insults like this never really got to Nines, but he couldn’t help but feel slightly angry and offended that the man thought he was pathetic.

Nines found himself leaning forward as he stared deeply into the man’s wide blue eyes and said plainly: “I think it’s far more pathetic to abduct prey and target an unsuspecting, innocent person trying to mind their own business.”

The man gave him a half smirk as he bit down on his lower lip. He was a little bit interested in what Nines had to say as he leaned closely against the android while he listened carefully.

“In fact,” Nines continued in a drawl, “it’s even _more_ stupid and pathetic to drag someone into a hiding place and throwing cold water on them every so often as you pretend not to be watching them.”

“What makes you think I was the one playing pretend?”

Nines felt frozen for a moment. He didn’t realize the man had been that perceptive…

The man chuckled deeply, “I’m glad you’re as dumb as everyone else,” he rose to his feet as he paced the room in front of Nines for a bit.

“A lot of people don’t suspect shit these days; everyone’s buried in their phone or in somethin’ else,” he laughed drily, “that’s why I was able to get away with abducting you in the middle of the morning in a busy parking lot to boot.”

“You knew I was going to be there.”

The man looked down at him with a grin, “No, the only thing I knew was that you were pretending to be asleep the few times I came in here.”

Nines cursed himself mentally. “How did you know-”

“This isn’t the first time I’ve done this, fuckhead.”

The insult was ignored as Nines frowned down at the dirty floor. “Let me go.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not?”

He snickered again, “Well, you’ve seen my face, haven’t you?”

Nines opened his mouth to speak, but the man interrupted with a small laugh, “Yeah yeah, you won’t tell anyone, I know,” he paced the room again as he spoke.

“You’ll offer me a reward, you’ll offer me money, fame, I know the same song and dance,” he growled down at the floor while scratching the back of his head, “I’ve heard it one too many fuckin’ times.”

Nines simply glared at him, “Just let me go.”

“You _still_ think you have any control in what’s going to happen to you?”

Nines wasn’t sure how to answer this question. He’d always known how to answer the most difficult in the most complicated questions in the past, but this? This was as if someone had asked him how to prove the existence of God. He had no answer for it and he simply looked down at his feet.

This seemed to make the man very pleased somehow, and he stopped pacing the room as he looked out at the door.

He pointed at it while looking at Nines, “I mean why don't you just try it? Just get up and run, see how far you really get…”

Nines knew the man was toying with him in another new way, and he didn't bother to move or say anything; he wasn't interested in playing this game.

The man dropped his hand to his side and pouted playfully, “Aww come on! You're no fun!”

Nines didn’t want to have fun, and he didn’t want to play anything at all. He simply wanted to get the hell out of wherever the hell he was.

He heard an exaggerated sigh above him. “I’m getting bored so I’m going to leave you to brood like little angsty teenager you are.” The man snickered at his own little joke as he walked closer to the door and walked backwards as he slowly started closing it on Nines’ face.

Before the door could completely shut, Nines leapt up to his feet as he stretched out his arms before the man. “Wait!”

The man held the door open ajar as he barely poked half his head inside through the doorway.

An evil smirk crossed his face, “Have you changed your mind about the game?”

Nines ignored his question as he simply gazed at him with mild concern in his eyes. His voice shook as he tried forming the sentence he wanted the man to hear, and the man mimicked it a few times before he snickered and silenced himself.

Nines finally stopped stammering, “Are you the Detroit Reaper?” Nines still didn’t understand why he had bothered to take time to ask this psychopath a question he knew he wasn’t ever going to answer truthfully. There was little else for him to do, and no one else for him to consort with, which was why he supposed he was trying to make a conversation at the last minute…it indeed was a pathetic thing to do.

The man grinned at him as he simply began walking backwards again, but not entirely closing the door before he whispered: “You tell me.”

The door finally clicked shut softly.


	3. 'Deed I Do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Credit to the song Gavin was playing for Nines:  
> Ben Pollack and his Orchestra - Deed I Do - 1926
> 
> Youtube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jtri5SKx15U

Connor and Hank sat inside Jeffrey Fowler’s office wearing matching concerned expressions on their faces. They were concerned over the fact that Fowler was currently throwing one of the biggest fits they’d ever seen him throw, but they were mostly concerned for Nines.

Hank had noticed Nines wasn’t behind them the second he paid for the last of his groceries. He sent Connor looking all throughout the store, and when that hadn’t proven to be successful, Hank asked the owner if they could check the security footage.

They’d made a copy of the footage for the day and forwarded it to Captain Fowler’s office within two hours, but all it showed was Nines wandering off towards the front doors of the supermarket, and then walking out. There hadn’t been cameras placed outside the supermarket, unfortunately, and nothing else was left for the law enforcement officers to follow-up on.

Fowler was beyond pissed; he was livid. His anger could have matched the intensity and heat of an erupting volcano. Most of the other officers knew they had to stay out of his way, unless they wanted to be yelled at for barely breathing. Fowler was absolutely unapproachable when he was in a state like this, and he had to take at least two more Ibuprofen pills before he was able to even look at Hank and Connor in the eyes.

He tugged at his chin with his fingers as he breathed harshly, his nostrils flaring like a bull in a China Shop.

Connor quirked a curious eyebrow at him, “Captain?”

Captain Fowler held up a finger slowly, “Give me a second, Connor,” he looked up at the ceiling, as if waiting for a miracle. He exhaled slowly as he clasped his hands around his lips in a small clasped shape, and Hank could picture that Fowler needed a brown paper bag to breathe into before he had a panic attack.

When things seemed calmer, Fowler looked at both of them as he held his hands against his mouth for a little while longer. It seemed he only was interested in glaring at Hank and Connor for some time before he dropped his hands to his lap and cleared his throat a few times.

“I would like either of you to explain to me how _the hell_ you managed to lose Nines in the early morning, and in the middle of a crowded supermarket,” his hands shook, and his shoulders caved in before he closed his eyes and forced himself to calm down.

“…Because I sure as shit am baffled over this.”

Hank stretched out a hand, “Jeffrey, as you saw in the footage, he just wandered off on his own!”

Connor glared at Hank, “Don’t place the blame on Nines!”

“I wasn’t!!”

Cutting their argument short, Fowler slammed both his hands down on the desk. The items on top of his desk and within it shook and rattled. “I want him found within a few days!”

Hank got up from his chair, gasping in shock, “But we don’t even know where he went!”

Captain Fowler rolled his eyes, “I know _that_ , Anderson!”

Connor gently grabbed Hank’s hand and helped him sit back down before he could retort back.

“I want you guys to do whatever you can to find him before this situation gets more out of hand!!” Fowler’s orders were heard loud and clear, but Hank and Connor didn’t seem to want to accept them as they both shook their heads at him.

“The Detroit Reaper could’ve abducted him for all we know!” Connor hissed, making sure to be mindful of the volume of his voice when he saw a few officers slowly walk past Fowler’s office.

Captain Fowler grabbed the bottle of pills as he shook it a few times and squeezed it as if it were a stress ball. “The Detroit Reaper doesn’t typically abduct his victims, though there’s no telling anymore!” he threw the pills across the office, and the bottle smashed against the glass before it ricocheted off it and hit the back of Connor’s chair.

Fowler rubbed his head furiously as he emitted a low growl, “You _two_ are supposed to be the _last_ people in this world to do this to me!!”

Connor’s LED light went yellow as he sighed, “We understand, Captain Fowler…”

Fowler glared at him, “I sure as fuck hope you do, Connor.”

Hank and Connor both hoped so, too. That would be the only way Nines had a chance to come back home unharmed and alive…

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

His captor was finding new ways of annoying him, and all for the pleasure and thrill of it. It seemed as if the man grew bored after splashing cold water a few more times in Nines’ face, and he had to satiate his addiction for inflicting harm unto others.

Nines had woken up a few times to his captor flicking a lighter on and off in front of his face just inches away from his nose. He repeatedly switched it on and off, the orange-yellow flame barely having time to dance upwards before he snapped the lid of the lighter shut.

It went on for minutes, neither of them saying anything to each other before the man turned and simply left.

Nines was losing track of time, and he was ‘resting’ when the man walked in the room again, simply glaring at him before he slammed the door. Moments later, old music that seemed to have been composed in the early 1920s and 30s played from the other side of the door in a muffled, eerie tone.

The grainy song played on as Nines tried ignoring it and drowning it out, but the man singing it sung the lyrics loudly, as his captor turned up the volume real high.

_Do I want you?_

_Oh my! Do I?_

_Honey, honey deed I do!_

_And do I need you?_

_Oh my! Do I?_

_Honey, honey deed I do!_

Due to the old, low quality of the music, the singer’s voice echoed loudly in the halls as the song blared on. It seemed rather haunting and strange that his captor would choose to put on such a song.

_I'm glad that I'm the one who found you,_

_That's why I'm always hangin' around you,_

_Do I love you?_

_Oh my! Do I?_

_Honey, honey deed I do!_

The door soon shook as the music played on, and as Nines looked up into the center of it, he heard the faint scratching of the metallic blade of a knife scratching up and down along the wood. It was an unmistakable noise, and it clanged and thudded against the door as it seemed to accompany the music playing.

Or perhaps, the music was accompanying it?

_And do I love my little baby,_

_Do I love her,_

_Don’t know, maybe,_

_Honey, baby, deed I do!_

The music finally ended, and Nines felt a small moment of relief flooding his system before the knife was pushed through the wood of the door.

It was forced through so viciously that it would have no doubt scared a human on the other side of the door. But all Nines did in a reaction was stand on his feet as he hoped this would mean an exit was provided…there was just no way the man was going to keep him in the room anymore now that the door was damaged!

The wood parted as the man stabbed through it over and over again. Nines supposed he was imagining stabbing him or some other innocent person as the knife slid between the sliced and broken wood over and over again until the man’s eyes were clearly visible from the other side of the door.

He leaned in and snickered at Nines, “Bet you thought I was gonna say: “Heeeerrreee’s Johnnyyyyy!”

Nines didn’t understand the reference, and he simply glared as the man snickered and snorted crudely for a moment before he frowned and sighed in an exaggerated manner. “That movie’s too old anyway…” he grinned at Nines playfully, “after all, you’re what? Three weeks old?”

Nines chose not to answer as he glared at his captor, “Let me out, now!”

His captor’s smile fell away, “Fuck you.”

“You can’t hold me in here anymore!”

It seemed like the man took it as a challenge, “Watch me.”

Nines stepped closer to the door, “I’ll break it!”

“Huh?”

“You’ve already carved the way for me!”

The man ran a hand along the break in the door, “Oh yeah,” he looked at the top of the door and then down to the bottom. He reached over to the doorknob as he opened it slowly. That damn creak was always there…

“Well,” he stood forward before Nines, and Nines was rather surprised to see that the man was a few inches shorter than he was. If this indeed was the Detroit Reaper, it was rather… _interesting_ to see that the man who’d instilled fear and panic in the general public for so long was so… ‘short’….

But then again, Nines wasn’t going to underestimate the man; after all, he’d abducted him from a crowded supermarket in broad daylight. Seeing definitely wasn’t believing.

His captor continued to ramble on, “I guess we’ll have to look for a new room for you,” he snickered softly, “considerin’ how you’ve been ‘evicted’ from this one for causing damage to the landlord’s property!”

As Nines stared at him in shock, the man stood closer into the room, and he was _definitely_ wielding a knife…

It gleamed in the lights in the hallway behind him, but it was blood-free, thankfully. Nines still didn’t like looking at it, and he turned and stepped away from his captor as the man held up the knife and gently tapped the blade with a finger.

“What’s wrong?” he cooed practically as he flicked a few fingers at the blade, causing a little ‘flick’ sound in the room to stir.

He raised the knife a little higher, though it didn’t seem like he meant to threaten Nines with it; just to scare him. Nines caught onto the game his captor was playing, and he found it disgusting. The man didn’t want to hurt him unless he drew some sort of fear out of him first. And for what purpose? To what end would he take this until he’d had his fill?! Would he just take what he wanted from Nines until he was an empty husk to be discarded somewhere in the woods or in the lake for some unlucky jogger or runner to find and report to the police next? Was he going to add Nines to the already-growing body count as easily as that?

All these questions ran through his mind as he watched the man sniff the knife. He actually _sniffed_ it. He pressed his nose right up to it, closed his eyes, and inhaled a long deep breath…

This man was crazy…he had to be! The way his nose travelled along the blade was almost like that of a blood-starved-beast; his eyes snapped open, and the pupils seemed dilated…

“Too bad you’re an android,” he stated plainly as he shook his head in disappointment and lowered the knife, “I can’t smell the stench of fear on ya.”

Nines tilted his head curiously at him. Maybe if he kept him talking, there would be a chance for him to run out the door after he distracted the man…

“You can smell fear?” Okay, so he’d been a tad curious, but it wasn’t as if the man could really sense _that_ too, could he? Nines hoped not…he wasn’t sure how he was supposed to react if the man let on that he was far more perceptive than Nines assumed him to be.

The man looked at the knife, nodding as he raised both his eyebrows and hummed, “Oh yeah,” his eyes glanced back up at Nines and he smiled, “fear smells pretty badly, if you’re lookin’ for it, that is…”

Nines took a step back, pretending he was retreating back to a corner in the room. He hoped and prayed the man would follow, thinking he was in control somehow. That would be the perfect time to make his escape…

“What does it smell like, then?” He asked as he backed away more, feeling the wall a few inches behind him now.

His captor decided to take him up on this strange ‘dance’, their moves perfectly choreographed as they took steps together; his captor taking one forward as Nines took one backwards, their hands swinging slightly as they kept their balance, the floorboards squeaking and groaning beneath them as if accompanying them like an orchestra.

Someone would break first, but Nines didn’t want it to be him. He would engage this psychopath in the deadly dance they were currently wrapped up in as he felt the baseboards of the room hit the back of his legs.

His captor seemed really pleased that he had asked him this question, and his eyes spun around with glee and zeal as he hissed out the answer like a snake, “Fear smells like salt, sweat, and it stinks of everything a person is trying to bury as they drown themselves in perfume, deodorant, or other stupid body adornments…”

Nines stopped when he had no more room to back away, and he hoped the man would stop inching closer and closer to him…it soon seemed like that wasn’t going to happen, and as Nines looked down between their bodies, he saw that the man placed the handle of the knife against his own chest and propped it straight before Nines. The sharp tip of the blade was almost half an inch away from Nines’ sternum, now…

“Fear also tastes acidic…”

Nines glanced up at him in horror, “You…you’ve tasted it?!”

No way…

This man wasn’t implying what Nines thought he was…was he?!?

There was just no way that the man was a cannibal…the Detroit Reaper was never reported to eat his victims or parts of them…

Nines shook himself out of those thoughts. Technically, he still had no proof that this man was indeed the Detroit Reaper. Nothing proved it for now, and all he was going off of was a hunch due to being traumatized and held against his will. It was a natural by-product to associate this criminal with the infamous Detroit Reaper, simply because of the timing of Nines starting the case and then being abducted.

Whether this man was the Detroit Reaper or wasn’t would be proven later…that is…if Nines was still alive in that time.

For now, all he could do was focus on the way the door behind the man practically begged and beckoned him to run towards it and flee as fast as he could in any direction that led him away from his creepy captor.

The man seemed to sense that Nines was previously thinking about cannibalism, and he sighed as he rolled his eyes and pressed the knife closer to the android’s chest, “Relax” he whispered out, “I haven’t eaten anyone, just pork, beef, lamb, chicken…”

He carried on, ignoring personal space as he pressed the knife right against Nines’ chest, but wasn’t trying to inflict harm or pain; the knife just rested there as a silent warning to Nines that if he dared to move, he would end up regretting it deeply.

“But I’ve had enough of shitty cuisine and dining to be able to know the difference between ‘bad meat’ and ‘fuckin’ delicious meat’…”

Nines didn’t want to know what exactly marked the line between the two, but he feigned taking an interest in it as he stared down at the man, careful not to telegraph his desired intentions and movements too much too soon. “What’s the difference?”

The man smirked happily, “So glad you asked me that,” he leaned against Nines and before Nines had a chance to do anything, the man’s tongue flicked out of his mouth and he swiped his tongue over Nines’ nose.

It was a wet, warm, slimy sensation Nines hoped would never be felt again. It was so odd, so perverse, so…intimate…

How many others had his captor done this to? The kidnapping, the psychological torments, the music, the taunting, the licking…

It was all too much for Nines to try and understand, and he didn’t want to as he pressed his back as tightly and closely against the sturdy wall as possible. He wished it would open up into another portal in an alternate universe where he could escape and teleport immediately back into the DPD and be with Hank and Connor…

Unfortunately, reality was far crueler, and none of that happened, no matter how hard Nines willed and wished for it to. He began shaking in anger as the man smacked his lips together when he drew his tongue back in his mouth…

“Hmmm,” he hummed as he looked up at Nines, sampling whatever he’d gathered off the skin of his nose in the little lick.

“You taste…different…”

Was that all he had to say?

Nines found he didn’t care; he wanted to leave, now.

The man rubbed his chin as he held the knife a little firmly against Nines’ chest, but not hard enough to draw blood and cut the layer of human skin.

“I gotta say,” he laughed as he grit his teeth together and pressed the knife past Nines’ shirt, roughly jabbing into his skin this time, “I keep findin’ reasons to pride myself in abducting an android; you guys never cease to amaze me…”

The knife was definitely going to draw blood soon if Nines didn’t do something. It would all be over in a matter of seconds, and now was the time to react.

Before the man could ram the knife inside his chest, Nines slid a long leg between the man’s. He drew his knee back and jammed it up against the man’s balls roughly.

It definitely hurt, and the man screamed as he dropped the knife and fell down to his knees on the floor.

Nines bent down and whispered into his ears: “Another benefit of being an android is that we don’t feel pain the same way humans do…” He gave the man a rough shove as he tore towards the door.

It was within sight, and Nines felt triumph for the first time since he’d been abducted. It’d be any minute now before he would be free, and once he got the location and the coordinates of the building he was in, he could contact Connor and let him know where he was! He would be saved in due time, and this nightmare would be over and done with as Captain Fowler and the rest of the DPD brought this insane monster down!

Nines grabbed the doorknob and yanked the door the rest of the way open. He’d barely taken a step into the hall when a heavy weight slammed into him.

Large, thick hands wrapped around his throat, and he soon understood that his captor had mounted him from behind and was attempting to choke him. Nines immediately rammed himself backwards into a wall as he tried shaking his captor off his back and shoulders, but the man must’ve expected it. He held on tightly for dear life, as if he was riding a wild stallion he’d been meaning to tame.

Nines fought and struggled like he’d never fought and struggled before. The hands moved over to his eyes, and his captor was attempting to blind him as he dug his thumbs into Nines’s eyeballs while his strong, powerful thighs wrapped around Nines’ waist…

His vision turned black immediately, and all sorts of numbers and codes swam up and down his closed off vision. Nines began panicking. His vision was what he relied on and used the most, and if it was gone, it would surely be the end of him…

He didn’t know what else he should have done. Fighting more would have meant going blind, possibly, but not fighting at all for his freedom was going to be a failure he couldn’t stand. Nines slammed his back against the wall a few more times before he gave up. He knew the man wasn't going to give up at all, not with the way he was clawing into Nines’ eyelids.

He crashed down to his knees when he felt the man’s fingers practically scooping and digging beneath his eyeballs over the closed eyelids.

A hot breath was against his ear, and he felt the man shifting above him as he pressed his legs down over Nines’ shoulders and rested them on the floor.

“Are you finished, now?” Though the man ceased struggling and fighting against Nines, he wasn’t at all exhausted or showing any signs that his energy had been depleted. It was very strange, for Nines felt that he had the strength of at least five grown men put together.

He didn’t understand how it was that this man who was much shorter than he was managed to not only exhaust him yet again in such a short amount of time, but he also managed to overpower and dominate over the taller and more well-built android…

Nines felt like a failure for the first time since he had been created. It wasn’t a pleasant thought or feeling to grow accustomed to, but it was a sad fact of reality that he couldn't avoid. The sooner he accepted that he really was beneath this man, the better it would be for him and hopefully increase the chances of his survival.

If this man, this creature, this monster was going to be responsible and overlook Nines’ fate, he would prefer it if he would at least be granted a little bit of leniency and mercy along the way. He was certain that the man had been meaning to torture and maim him in some way or another, but perhaps they would be able to form some sort of strange understanding or alliance that would benefit Nines in some way?

He didn’t know what he was thinking and he didn't think he would be able to understand it even if he tried and wanted to. His thoughts were scrambled, messy mush as he tried understanding the grim reality of the situation he was in.

He was now this man’s prisoner. This was a fact as much as the grass was green and the sky was blue.

Perhaps he could try to fight his way out another time, but when Nines felt the cold, hard floor beneath his knees, he knew that it was much safer and wiser to surrender and pretend like the man had all the power and control over him for now.

The man pet his back a few times as he pressed the sharp, pointy end of the knife into the skin on the back of his neck few times, a very obvious, clear deadly warning should he choose to do anything else except cower beneath him in fear.

“You made the right choice”, he whispered like it was a special secret reserved for the two of them only.

“I’m happy to say that this is some progress.”

Nines didn’t feel it was, but he was happy enough to let the man think so.

The man yanked Nines back to his feet as he gripped the collar of his dress shirt roughly and tightly between his fingers.

Nines expected him to drag him back into the room he’d spent at least a full day in, but he was surprised to see and feel his odd captor dragging him down the small, claustrophobic hallway he’d paced numerous times himself before entering the room Nines had been kept hidden in.

His captor gave him a rough shove as he pushed Nines to walk ahead, but the sharp end of the knife was always pressed in the center of his back as a dangerous reminder.

“Congratulations, Robo-Bitch,” he chuckled as their feet dragged along the rotting wood of the floors, but the hallway seemed to stretch on for miles as they walked deeper and deeper into darkness.

There were no more lights on in this section of the hallway anymore…

“You just bought yourself another day to live.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kudos for 'The Shining' references?  
> Just kidding.


	4. Preparing Chicken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awkward shit. No other way to put this, really. Gavin's just...one insane son of a twat.
> 
> The song he was playing for Nines is : IT'S ALL FORGOTTEN NOW  
> (Ray Noble)
> 
> Ray Noble and his Orchestra (vocal: Al Bowlly) - 1934  
> Al Bowlly (with piano accompaniment by Monia Liter) - 1934  
> Van Phillips& His Band - 1934
> 
> Youtube Link if you wanna listen to it (it's from The Shining, by the way lol) :
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LwjHiO8YE4

Nines didn’t seem to understand exactly what kind of a building they were in. After leading Nines out of his ‘original’ room, his captor pushed him up some steps at the end of the dark hallway they were in, and it led to the top of the staircase where a little white door was standing.

When they pushed past it, they were in what Nines assumed was a ‘kitchen’ of sorts. Though the windows of this ‘kitchen’ were few and rather dirty; covered in mildew, mold, other dark stains, and tons of little bugs and their dead carcasses were resting on the windowsills. They were lying on their backs with their feet up in the air, and Nines only felt it was a disgusting ‘foreshadowing’ of what happened to the victims of this mass-murdering psychopath.

The entire kitchen smelled horribly, like rotting meat and old eggs, but there was also a stench of sweat, death, and old wood…

Nines was thrown and roughly tied down into an old chair in the middle of the kitchen, facing a large, murky yellow dirty sink. The facet kept dripping with brown water, making little ‘taps’ and ‘drips’ on and off. An old radio from the 90s sat on the rotten wood of the counters by the sink, and his captor was standing by an old yellow-white fridge that had traces of muddy handprints, dark stains, burns, and gashes running up and down the fridge door as if someone had taken a pickax to the fridge and fought with it.

Nines could only watch in silence as his captor grabbed a little cutting board and flung it down on the center-most kitchen island and its countertop. He had a bag containing something that reeked within it, and as Nines watched, the man pulled out what appeared to be the featherless, pink-white body of a chicken. Its arms and wings hung limply to its sides, and it still had a lot of blood on it as the man examined it a few times and stroked it with his bare hands.

It was a sickening sight to see, and the man should have worn gloves, but he didn’t. He simply looked down at the chicken for a few moments in silence before he smiled up at Nines as if they were two friends having coffee and donuts.

“I promise you,” his captor whispered like it was a secret, “this guy didn’t suffer prior to death.”

That statement earned him a dark glare from Nines as he sat on the rickety chair in bindings wrapped around his legs and arms, tying him down to the chair. “All death is a form of suffering…”

His captor reached back down into his bag and produced a sharp, clean knife, though not like the one he'd buried in the door down below. “Not unless you have some sort of disease and you’re at the point where you have to _beg_ for the doctor to put you outta your misery, eh Robo-Bitch?”

Nines didn’t appreciate the new nickname, but it was the least of his worries as he watched the man bring the knife to hover over the chicken as he straightened its wings out on the cutting board and prepared it for slicing.

The knife cut away at its left wing, and Nines watched in silence before he commented, “I’m surprised that’s poultry meat.”

His captor did a little mock-gasp as he widened his eyes over at Nines while working on the right wing, now, “I’m shocked you’d say such a thing about me!!” The knife cut away the remaining wing, and the man gathered both severed parts into the palm of his free hand and threw it backwards into the sink behind him. The meat 'plopped' dully into the sink as it fell against the rough depths, and Nines wondered if human meat would sound similar when it was thrown into a similar holding once it was neatly cut up in many pieces...

“…just what kind of a horrible monster do you think I am?”

“The most horrible kind.” The answer came quickly from Nines, almost like it was meant to be there perfectly. His captor didn’t seem to care as he shoved the knife inside the neck of the chicken and began carving a path inside it.

He smirked down at the chicken, “Organ removal is a _very_ complicated procedure,” the knife slammed down on the cutting board, “one should be so focused, else it’ll all go tits-up!”

As if mocking his own statement, his captor turned to the old radio and switched it on. It buzzed loudly for a moment until he adjusted the volume and settings, and as Nines listened, old music from the 1920s and 30s played again. The distant, echoing sounds of an orchestra played softly in the kitchen. The steady tune and rhythm of the wind instruments played first before the string instruments joined in a rising crescendo.

His captor grabbed the knife once again and began slicing away as he discarded the chicken’s innards back inside the sink.

It was an eerie tune as the man cut away, and Nines soon noticed the man was cutting and slamming the knife down on the wooden board perfectly in time with the music…

He began humming the tune of the song as Nines shifted around in his chair. What if there was a loose knot in one of the bindings? Perhaps if he pulled hard enough, the binding would come loose, and he would fly out one of the medium-sized kitchen windows and make good on his escape…

He formulated the plan as he tugged and pulled at his bindings, and while still looking down at the cut-up chicken, his captor smiled, “I wouldn’t even bother with that shit if I were you, Robo-Bitch,” he snickered when he heard Nines cease his struggling, “the knots are done up pretty well.”

Of course, he’d had years and many opportunities to practice, and Nines slapped himself mentally for thinking this man was still some amateur when it came to abducting and holding people his prisoner. Where was his mind?! Had the idea and taste of freedom been so sweet that he’d lost control of his planning and programming that always enabled him to be the successful detective of the DPD he now was? He was slipping yet again, and he hated how this man could read him like an open book…

His captor then nodded while still working on the chicken, as if Nines had somehow broadcasted his thoughts. “Yeah, see, it’s better if you just give up, in this case anyway.”

The orchestra grew soft as the decrescendo approached, which signaled and prepared the way for the singer to begin his notes.

_It’s all forgotten now,_

_The trouble and the pain,_

He had a haunting voice, but Nines found it wasn’t a bad one as he looked at the chicken that was being arranged and cut in neat, tiny pieces and stacked on one end of the cutting board.

_Forgotten every word I said,_

_Forgotten every tear you shed,_

A genuine question flew up in Nines’ mind as he drowned out the music and glared at his captor, “Why do you listen to this style of music?”

His captor glanced up once at him with quirked eyebrows, but then looked back down at his task and smiled.

He was silent, and Nines felt he had to goad him into an answer. Everything had to be a game or a struggle…

“This type of music is very much outdated.” The fact didn’t seem to trouble his captor as he scratched the tip of the knife against the cutting board while he used it to separate the chicken bits while he pulled out the ribcage from the breast.

He finally clicked his tongue before he answered, “It may be old, but that’s what I like about it: it has somethin’ in it that is unforgettable…like a classic movie remade over and over because it’s _that_ fuckin’ good.”

Nines frowned as he spoke on, “Shit that comes out these days is just all capsized, manufactured, bullshit-cookie-cutter-copy-and-paste shit. There’s no style, no substance, no real spirit in the music…” he sighed as he paused in the middle of his cutting and looked up at the ceiling, “fuck…what the hell happened to the entertainment industry?”

_We’re still in love…_

Nines frowned at him. This man really was an enigma wrapped in a mystery; he could go from being absolutely insane and psychopathic with a fiery rage unlike anyone Nines had yet to come across, and then in an instant, he could switch himself to speaking like any normal, random person you’d meet while shopping, in a coffee shop, at the movies…it was beyond bizarre and Nines had trouble reading and predicting the man’s personality and how he was going to react to things.

“I could ask the same question,” Nines began in a low drawl, growing more impatient and uneasy by the minute, “I too wonder what the hell happened to people…”

His captor met his glare across the small length of the kitchen, and he frowned darkly. Obviously, something Nines had said got to him, and he dropped his knife as he yanked out a small, dirty dishcloth hanging from the back pocket of his dark jeans.

“You know what?” he wiped his hands quickly, furiously flinging the cloth down onto the cutting board as he paced his way over to Nines. “I’m kinda gettin’ bored of your attitude…” he produced another cloth from his left back pocket, and it was a deep green one that was significantly cleaner than the one he’d used to wipe his hands with.

Nines gaped down at it, and the man quickly snagged his lower jaw in his fingers. “Open up!”

Nines felt his mouth forcefully yanked open wider, and as he stared down, the man shoved the green cloth between his tongue and teeth. It was wedged in tightly, and he coughed and choked around it before the man walked back towards the chicken on the counter with a snicker.

_It’s all forgiven now,_

_We’re back in Lovers Lane,_

“Much better,” he grabbed the knife and resumed cutting away at his work of ‘art’, “now we can enjoy the music in silence!”

Nines bit down on the cloth, gathering some of it against his tongue as he swept it inside his mouth, and while the man was slicing away again and whistling the same notes and tune as the song, Nines drew in a deep breath from his nostrils, and spat out the cloth.

It sailed in the air a little ways before it hit the edge of the counter and plopped down to the floor.

_And though we wandered from our way,_

_The corner’s turned and we can say,_

His captor held up the knife mid-cut and looked down at the green cloth on the floor. His nose crinkled up as his eyeballs slowly shifted up to peer at Nines. A bored, unimpressed expression grew on his face as his shoulder lowered and he placed the knife gently between his chicken slice piles.

He sighed dramatically.

_We’re still in love…_

He shook his head at Nines, “Really?”

Nines glared at him with all the anger in the world.

“Now we’re gonna have to do this the ‘not-so-nice’ way…” he thumped and stomped over to the other side of the kitchen island as he swiped the cloth up in a hand. He slapped it a few times over his jeans, though Nines knew the damn thing was already covered in far too many germs.

Still, it wasn’t like he could get sick, but he definitely would feel disgusted…that was a feeling he _could_ feel.

But that seemed to be precisely what his captor wanted, and using the same knife to cut the chicken with, he snipped some extra loose rope from the binding around Nines’ wrists, and as Nines watched in horror, he tied it to the cloth and draped the rope behind Nines’ head.

His mind quickly pieced together where this was headed, and he struggled hard as he kicked himself up, pushing the chair up with him as he scraped it backwards up against the kitchen door they’d entered in from. He was running out of space, but the chair’s legs on the floor made little scraping motions that stood out strangely against the music in the background, making everything more haunting and scary.

_For you and I, and everybody,_

_Must learn to give and take,_

His captor caught up to him and grabbed his cheeks in one firm, strong hand. “Hold fuckin’ still…”

“NO!!!” Before Nines could yell out more, the cloth was shoved crudely into his mouth yet again, and this time the man tightened the rope and knot behind his head as he wedged the cloth in deeper with two fingers, pushing it past Nines’ lips.

Nines’ eyes went wide as he struggled to push his tongue against the cloth, but it was a heavy, firm intruder that wasn’t going anywhere given the ropes that held it down over his head and tied it in a circle around the circumference of his head.

He was stuck like this, and all he could do was choke and cough with it in his mouth as his captor smiled and emitted a relieved sigh.

“See?” he winked at Nines, “there’s a solution for everything after all.”

_We’ll find, like everybody,_

_It’s worth it for happiness sake…_

He whistled the tune as he gathered the cut-up pieces of chicken back in the same bag. “Gotta freeze these for later, now.”

Nines wheezed as he closed his eyes and tried pushing the cloth towards his lips, but it really was stuck where it was unless his captor chose to remove it. An idea suddenly entered his mind just then: _Get him talking._

Nines remembered it had somewhat worked in the past when he’d been approached with the man and his knife, and asking a question or two had somehow saved his life…perhaps it would work now as well.

But how could he even ask a single thing with this damn cloth so far inside and deep within his mouth??

This would prove to be a challenge, and his tongue felt heavy and exhausted in his mouth as he pushed and shoved it in different positions, trying to make the smallest bit of space for himself so he could at least get out a few words and be understood…

When he eventually pushed the cloth to the right side of his mouth just barely, Nines took in a sharp breath as he glared ahead at his captor cleaning up the rest of the chicken as he discarded the rest of the bones and innards back inside the sink where it was slowly piling up…

How many bodies and victims had he stacked up in that position??

That was a question he could save for later, and Nines held onto that thought as he struggled to spit out: “Why’re you doing this to me?”

However, due to the soaked cloth weighing down his tongue and lips, it came out more like: “Mmmvyre dnggg thith thoom meee?”

Oddly, his captor fully understood his question as he slammed the knife blade-down right into the cutting board. It stuck up like a dart in a board, and the handle jiggled a little in the air as he placed two hands on the edge of the counter and leaned forward.

His eyes were stern and serious for a moment, but then as Nines observed him, his chin began quivering…it started out slowly at first, barely noticeable, but then he held his head down as he sniffled and breathed deeply through his nose. His shoulders shook violently as his cries grew louder…

_It’s all forgotten now,_

_We’re happy once again,_

His captor slammed his hands down on the counter as his sobs grew so loud, that the music was unable to be heard for a moment. His shoulder still shook, and he lowered his voice as he spoke slowly, “M-my dad really b-b-beat me…”

As he stammered the words out, Nines felt himself trying to shove the cloth out of his mouth as he hoped the man would go on speaking for some time.

“I just w-wanted to be a perfect kid, and he beat me,” his voice had turned childlike, and it began taking an odd turn as he explained more, “he even raped me!!!”

Nines froze and stared in shock. The man’s shoulders caved in as he grabbed his hair in a few fingers and tugged at them wildly while shaking his head side-to-side violently. It made Nines dizzy even watching it, but the man wailed down at the floor. He'd been abused...

Nines wished he could spit out the dirty cloth from his mouth so he could help comfort the man in any way possible. It was a good step and wise decision to ask about this man, and he felt he could learn something if he got the man to trust him.

“H-he took my innocence!!”

He stomped around and cried out as his shoulders shook more and more. His sobbing died down, and he began hiccupping softly as his body trembled. As Nines stared on, it soon became obvious that the man wasn’t crying; he was laughing.

He threw his head back and drowned the room in many loud rounds of boisterous laughter as he wiped his eyes with the back of a hand and did a mock bow as he clapped for his own performance.

Nines couldn’t believe it.

For a minute, he’d actually sincerely believed the man’s story, and a part of him even had begun feeling sorry and empathy for the man…but he’d been making it all up…

The monster…

His captor stumbled back against the counter as he gripped his stomach and sides, still laughing while he pointed a shaky finger at Nines.

“You should’ve seen your fuckin’ face! Ahahah!!!” his eyes watered as he placed his hands on his knees and bent down to catch his breath. It seemed as if this was the world’s funniest thing to him, and Nines wasn’t amused at all.

There really had been cases he personally hadn’t worked on, but had caught news of that centered around child abuse, and unfortunately that involved sexual abuse…and this man, this creature…was joking about it like it wasn’t anything highly traumatic and cruel.

Nines’s bewildered expression seemed to really get the man going, and he laughed again as he practically fell to his knees, face red as he coughed and fanned himself with a hand, trying to get control of himself.

“This is too fuckin’ funny!”

It wasn’t, but Nines wasn’t in a position where he could say that. He was only able to stare in rage and irritation as the man straightened himself out and rolled his eyes down at Nines.

“Robot Man, don’t be stupid,” he snickered as he brushed off his clothes, “I mean, what did you expect me to say?”

Nines glared at him, but allowed him to talk.

“I mean, did you think I was gonna answer your question with somethin’ like: ‘oh I had _such_ a horrible childhood, and my dad fucked me in the ass every day after school while my mommy slit her wrists in the bathtub one night and I found her floatin' in a pool of her own blood!!’”

He laughed, and then cut it off abruptly as the singer’s voice was about to end the song.

_Our trouble gone beyond recall,_

_And making up is best of all,_

The man waved a hand in a dismissive gesture at Nines, “Really? You’re all exactly the fuckin’ same…” he leaned against the counter as he crossed his arms over his chest and draped one leg over the other as his hips pressed back against the kitchen counter, “you all think that somethin’ big and bad must’ve happened to me in my childhood where I grew up into _this_ …” he pointed at himself and snickered.

“Maybe my dad was an alcoholic bastard who was also the village child molester? Maybe my mother was a prostitute with the golden heart trying to raise me and give me the love she never had? Maybe I was bullied and beaten up every day at school while I ran home and hid under my bed crying my eyes out?”

Nines didn’t know what the man’s story was, but he felt he would never get the truth, and he gave up on the idea of trying to as he stared down at the floor.

The man began to walk around as his boots dragged over the floors.

“But it’s kinda the opposite, y’know?”

No, Nines didn’t know, nor did he care anymore. He wasn’t interested in anything this monster and vile abomination had to say the moment he’d poked fun at child sexual abuse. Nines only wished he had the power and strength to end this man’s life by his own hands before he said another word…

“I actually had pretty rich parents who gave me _plenty_ in my life while I was growin’ up, and that included a lot of love.”

He paced around the kitchen as he yanked a black garbage bag from beneath the sink and gathered the bits of the chicken he wasn’t going to use inside it, ready for disposal.

“I went to college, my education was paid for, I had girlfriends, and I had a good social life…”

Nines didn’t believe those words as he felt his arms and legs tightening against the bindings. It was as if his mind knew it was impossible to break out of the bindings he was in, yet his body refused to accept it as a reality, eager to give one final fight. Was he hoping to break the ties like Superman? He really had no idea what he was doing anymore…

The man tied up the heavy trash bag carefully as the brown water in the sink still dripped on, “Needless to say, I’ve had a pretty privileged-ass life,” he tossed the bag down to the floor as he smiled happily at Nines, as if he had presented him with the solution to end world hunger.

He clicked his tongue as he counted off more ‘glorious’ things he had going for himself, “Not a single case of a mental health issue in my entire family tree, no accidents, no traumatic memories or incidents…I’m clean as a fuckin’ whistle!”

He smiled as he cheered and paraded his own ego around the room. “No complaints from my end, but thanks for caring so much about me to go ahead and ask…”

Nines wanted to kick him in the face as he approached with teeth shining in the lights above.

“Really,” he placed a hand over his heart as he smiled down at Nines, “I’m so… _touched_ …”

Nines knew the opposite was true. There was a high chance that this man was a sociopath or a psychopath. A lot of individuals who suffered from this mental disorder were often emotionless and ‘broken’. They didn’t understand or feel sympathy, empathy, remorse, or guilt. They were beyond damaged as humans could get. They didn’t understand what love was, or romance, or care and compassion; they didn’t understand what anything was.

The man stepped back as he grabbed and hoisted the black garbage high over his right shoulder, “Well, garbage day’s almost here, so I’ll go ahead and keep up with the house duties,” he winked down at Nines while kicking him lightly in the shins with the tip of his boot, “you don’t go anywhere, now,” he giggled childishly, “I’m still preparing a wonderful meal for the two of us…”

He sighed as he looked up at the ceiling as if he was reminiscing something romantic.

“Just think,” he whispered, “it’ll be a most rapturous, beautiful candle-lit dinner for two…”

He nodded as if agreeing with this notion, “Yes, and I’ll even bring out the fancy and expensive wine for us!!!”

He suddenly gasped as he took a step back and peered down at Nines with wide eyes and a hurt expression, “Oh wait…” he let out a shaky breath, “how rude of me…androids don’t eat, do they?”

Nines glared at him, providing him the answer he already knew. Nines wanted to bark out a million insults at him for being so callous and insensitive, but he knew it wouldn’t have the slightest bit of an effect on the man.

It was pointless, and another wasted effort to try and even speak with this monster from hell.

The music died down as the last words of the singer echoed in the distance as Nines lost himself deep in his own thoughts.

_We’re still in love…_

The door leading back down to the basement of the empty, dilapidated building swung open and then shut as the captor descended back down into the filthy depths below, leaving Nines alone with only a moment’s worth of peace and silence before he heard his footsteps ascending once again.

The knife was still embedded in the cutting board just a few feet away from him, but he knew the captor had left it there on purpose:

A single reminder that even though a weapon and a possible escape tool was within reasonable reach, he would never be able to physically grab it. All he could do was stare at it in a longing manner as he truly recognized what kind of a creature he’d been accompanied with.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If it isn't kinda obvious by now, I'm kind of using the case of Richard Ramirez as a basis for Gavin's background here - Ramirez was known as The Night Stalker (NOT the ORIGINAL NIGHT STALKER AKA EAST AREA RAPIST ....by the way, that useless piece of human skin was recently caught, go look it up. JUSTICE)  
> Sorry, I did a minor degree in Criminology.


	5. Two Truths, One Lie

Hank Anderson stared down at Connor with his hands deeply buried inside his pockets as his android partner walked throughout the parking lot of _Jon’s Supermarket_. They were trying to retrace their steps the day Nines disappeared, and Hank was hopeful that Connor would be able to pick up a clue or two.

He’d seen how the android had pieced together the murder and re-creation of the bloody, gruesome scene at Carlos Ortiz’s house, and he was still impressed with how Connor had done that back then. He hoped for a similar act today as he stood in the light drizzle of the rain, simply watching Connor.

“I wish it would stop fucking raining,” he grumbled as he shook light bits of water from the top of his head and shivered. It wasn’t too cold thankfully, but it was still annoying to have this kind of weather in the early summer.

Connor moved from car-to-car, peering down at the asphalt of the parking lot as he would every so often bend down to his feet and study the ground closely.

“It’s still mildly wet,” he announced, though more to himself than to Hank, “there’s a likelihood that evidence was washed clean away…”

Hank rolled his eyes as his head fell forward, “Where’s the good news, Connor?”

“Shhh,” Connor moved around once again, his LED light yellow as his eyes programmed out the possibilities of what had happened to Nines. He took bits of the security footage of Nines by the entrance of the store to re-create a ‘movie’ in his own mind playing out what could have happened.

He walked along with the light green holographic image of Nines in his mind and eyes while speaking and explaining to Hank. “Nines was here definitely…” he followed the android’s motions with steady caution.

“He lingered outside by the doors of half a minute before something caught his attention…” Connor looked at the grounds carefully. There were small traces of wet grass, muddy footprints that he’d already scanned and found had been put there within half an hour, as well as mashed up meat…

That got his interest, and he scanned the traces as he found worms everywhere he’d missed somehow.

He pointed at them, “Some of these are fresh, others are days old…”

Hank frowned, “What is?”

“The worms.”

Hank growled deep in his chest, a sign that his patience was wearing thin, “Connor, we’re not here to study the sights of nature,” he groused, “would you please stay on-”

He froze and gaped in horror when Connor crawled his way over to a pothole still bearing the little half-body of a smashed worm, and he stuck out two fingers, traced them over the worm’s body, and placed his fingers back in his mouth for analysis…

Hank nearly threw up as he turned around and held a hand over his stomach and heaved.

“CONNOR!!!” he coughed and gasped as he closed his eyes and shook his head, placing a hand over his mouth as he coughed and dry-heaved.

Connor ignored him as he sampled the worm. All of a sudden, worm DNA and images associated with the path the worm took flew through his mind at high-speed. He was able to see the worm crawling through large blades of grass and digging in throughout holes in the soil while the rain thundered down onto the ground and the sky flashed…the worm was then crawling over the asphalt, turning and twisting about, when a darkness slammed down on it.

He then was able to see and feel it drowning in pain as he crawled over to the water while bleeding and writhing in pain…a light flashed, and he felt and saw a large finger poking and prodding it.

Suddenly, that cut off to his system alerting him that traces of thirium were both in the water and on the worm…

Nines.

Nines had been here…

Connor broke out of the visions as he finally allowed his system to update and reconstruct what could have happened with this new information flowing throughout his system.

His LED light turned blue as he smiled at Hank with wide dark brown eyes.

Hank glared at him, still cupping a hand over his mouth, “ _Done_?!?!”

“He was here!”

Hank grumbled, “Nines?”

Connor rose to his feet as Hank leaned away from him, tearing his eyes away from his mouth that had tasted the worm bits…

“There’s thirium in that puddle…” he pointed down at the pothole and Hank sighed.

“It could be from any android.”

Connor raised an eyebrow, “Androids going food shopping?”

“Maybe it was purchasing it for someone else…”

“At nine in the morning a day ago?”

Hank looked worried and impressed at the same time, “Oh, you narrowed it down to specifics,” he looked down wearily at the ground, face still pale and sickly, “I forgot you could do that stuff.”

Connor tilted his head as he processed more of the information, “Judging by the amount of thirium that had been in the puddle, there’s a high chance that Nines was attacked from behind…”

“How do you know?”

Connor looked down at the puddle, “Because of the angle the thirium had been splattered over the asphalt.”

Hank sighed, “So what can we do now?”

“Report our findings to Captain Fowler, but we must also consider this as a planned attack, Hank…”

The older man looked at the puddle, “Is that where the trail ends, then? Can’t we trace him ourselves??”

Connor sadly shook his head, “It ends here…”

Hank squinted suspiciously around the parking lot as if whoever had attacked Nines was still lingering about the crime scene. “I just don’t understand why they would do this to Nines!”

Connor stared at Hank in mild confusion, “ _They_?”

“Of course!” Hank hissed as he stepped closer to his partner and lowered his voice to a whisper when he saw a few cars pulling into the parking lot. “There’s no way _one_ person could’ve done this…”

“Right, Nines is quite advanced and stronger than even I am…” Connor nodded in agreement, feeling himself hitting a brick wall in this recent investigation.

Hank felt it too as he crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at a few people exiting the car that had just recently pulled into the supermarket parking lot.

“Let’s get going, Connor,” Hank looked up at the sky as the rain beat down a little harder now.

“I don’t wanna run the risk of catching a cold,” he explained slowly, eyes still on people as they exited the supermarket and entered, “plus, I don’t want anyone listening in.”

Connor nodded while his LED light turned yellow and then blue, “Got it.”

They walked side-by-side towards Hank’s car parked on the other side of the street so they wouldn’t draw too much attention to themselves.

Hank frowned as he shook his head and gathered his raincoat around his body tighter. “It’s just…nah, forget it.” He waved off whatever he’d wanted to say, and Connor eyed him curiously as he didn’t let go of it.

“What?”

Hank sighed, “It’s just that…you never realize how much someone means to you when shit like this that you only see in movies or read about in books happens right before your very eyes…”

Connor smirked as he giggled like a little evil child, “Didn’t know you were that much in love with Nines, Hank!” he joked as he prodded Hank with an index finger.

“Shut the hell up, Connor.”

“Right.”

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

True to his word, his keeper had prepared the chicken within a few hours. By nightfall, Nines had been placed in an old, worn-out wheelchair, and wheeled into a dining room he’d never seen that was connected on the other side of the second kitchen entrance door.

He was glad to be out of the kitchen that smelled of roasted chicken, broiling and cooking slowly in the dirty, dark oven near the fridge. He knew he must have been growing somewhat paranoid, for there was a small part of him that wondered if the meat currently roasting in the oven had been human meat…

He knew he had to keep a level head and his sanity in check while he sat in the wheelchair right at one end of the long, old, rectangular dining table. A plate had been set for him, and it was an old, grey plate that seemed to be hand-crafted…tiny fingerprints were visible along the edges and rim of the plate, and his captor had even set old silver utensils on a fancy crimson napkin by the left-hand-side of the plate.

Directly across from him on the opposite end of the large, old table was a similar colored plate and utensil set placed over another crimson colored napkin. It was no doubt set for his keeper.

Nines wasn’t sure when the strange man had found the time to set the table, but he evidently had as Nines sat waiting for the man to enter the dining room from the kitchen with the cooked chicken.

Nines hoped that the chicken would be the only thing his captor would wheel into the dining room, and it appeared that for once luck was on his side when the strange man walked into the dining room still dressed in the same clothing he had been seen in for the full day.

He held a large tray in his hands that was large and spacious enough for the whole roasted chicken to rest on. A few leafy greens were decorated fancifully around the chicken, along with a few cut slices of bright yellow lemon.

Nines fought the urge to roll his eyes at the silly display before him as his captor set the chicken in the middle of the large dining room table.

Did this man actually expect Nines to even bother to try eating the meal?

Why had he gone through such lengths to decorate the meal this way for? Who was he trying to impress?

It all just added to his peculiar, twisted behavior and personality Nines was still having trouble reading and predicting. He eventually decided that it was more than likely the case that his captor simply wanted to show off luxuries he clearly could afford and use right in front of Nines. It just seemed silly and strange, considering the fact that Nines had no purpose or use for plates and utensils. Humans really were strange creatures after all.

His captor took off his dark brown oven mitts and set them on a hook in a wall as he pulled out his chair at the other end of the table directly facing Nines while he eyed the roasted chicken hungrily. Steam still rose off the plump chicken into the air, and the man waved his hands over it as he wafted the scent over towards his own nostrils and took a deep breath of it.

“Hmmm,” he sighed and hummed in pride over his own work as he looked down at the food, “this will indeed be the best meal…”

As Nines stared on, he snapped a finger, “Oh! Mustn’t forget the fancy wine!”

The android’s eyes and head followed him over to a large, dusty liquor cabinet a few feet away from the dining room table resting against a wall. He grabbed two glasses and a bottle of what appeared to be red wine. Nines still couldn’t believe he set one glass for him…

Nines glared over at him while he took a breath in through his mouth. While he was happy that his captor had chosen to remove the gag from his mouth, he found that happiness had soon been replaced with increasing amounts of anger and frustration as he waited for the man to cook his meal all afternoon. Now he was set before him showing off that he clearly could enjoy other pleasures in his life that weren't available to Nines. It was all a part of the psychopathic show…

His captor soon pulled a carving knife from the side of the tray by the chicken that Nines had never noticed being there, and he gripped it in his hand with confidence and practice as he cut the chicken directly in half. He smiled to himself as he sliced through it, the steam and other spicy scents rising in the air and mixing in with the old smell of rotting wood that was the table and the floor boards beneath their feet.

The dining room looked as dirty and dilapidated as the kitchen had been. There were no windows present in this room, which was rather odd. Only an old chandelier hung above their heads and a few of the light bulbs it held were burnt out. Everything was really dark with in the room, and the walls were painted a deep red color almost like blood…

The setting and atmosphere of the dining room seemed like something out of an old horror movie about a haunting within a creepy mansion. Nines wasn’t perturbed or disturbed by the dining room however, as the height of his worries and concerns was sitting right in front of him on the opposite end of the dining room table.

His captor helped himself to a large portion of breast and a drumstick as he pulled some of the lettuce and kale from the tray into his plate and poured a small portion of ‘dressing’ over the salad. The liquid drenched the chicken bits and salad slowly and carefully, and his captor didn’t even spill a drop as he placed the container holding the dressing back by the chicken tray.

He gathered his utensils in his hands as he smiled over at Nines. “Please, help yourself!”

He laughed at his own sick joke while Nines struggled against his bindings in the wheelchair. Unlike the old, rickety chair Nines had been tied down to while he was in the kitchen with his captor, this wheelchair itself came with its own straps and tight leather bindings that perfectly draped around Nines’ wrists as they held his arms resting down flatly over the two armrests of the wheelchair. Another set of bindings were right in front of his shins and they wrapped over his shins and ankles perfectly as they strapped him tightly to the wheelchair.

If Nines had to wager a guess, he assumed that this wheelchair was normally used in hospital settings or perhaps even an elderly retirement home…or maybe it had once belonged even in a psychiatric ward at some point or another. Nines had tried scanning it for any evidence that was possibly left on it, but not a single thing was found on it. No traces of hair, DNA, clothing fibers or anything else. It was as if the chair had been recently wiped down and cleaned…

His captor’s spoon and fork clanked against the plate, “You should hurry and eat it, before it gets cold.” He snickered as he shook his head while eating his meal.

Nines wanted to retort back with his own sarcasm. “I’m surprised you’re not putting on more outdated, pretentious music to accompany us.”

His captor poured himself a small glass of red wine as he looked coldly over at Nines. “Robot Man,” he swallowed his drink carefully and slowly, wiping his lips with the crimson napkin afterwards gently, “do you want the gag back in your mouth?”

Nines glared down at his empty plate while he stretched out his fingers. He imagined wrapping them tightly around this creature’s throat.

“No.”

The man nodded as he gathered salad on his fork, “I’ve been very kind by lettin’ you run your fuckin’ mouth again, but I won’t put up with it for long.”

“Oh yes, compassion _is_ pandering.” Nines couldn’t stop the insult from spilling forth. Something about this man strangely made him almost more ‘deviant’; he was hardly in control of his emotions anymore, and he was always blurting whatever was on his mind right out before thinking about the ramifications and consequences that could follow it. Never had he been so careless, and he mentally cursed the man sitting across from him as being the cause and root of it all.

He hated that a simple, corrupt human being wielded so much control and power over him…though this was perhaps exactly what he’d put all his victims through…

His captor shrugged, possibly trying to ignore the statement Nines had uttered as he chewed his food slowly. His brows soon furrowed in thought as he cleared his throat to speak.

“Let’s play a little game…”

Nines truly wished he had control over his hands, at the very least. He really wanted to stand from his seat and throw his body across the table while grabbing as much chicken bits and parts he could in his hands. He would then begin flinging them over into his captor’s stupid, smug face. He really wanted to insult and berate this man anyway he could, making him feel as worthless and lowly as he had made Nines previously feel for almost a full day and a half. He could only pray for the day that the tables would soon be turned, and the man would be at Nines’s mercy…

Would that day ever arrive?

He felt he didn’t know as he thought about it while his captor chewed and swallowed the rest of his food. While pure mischief and the promises of the game were shining in the depths of his blue eyes, Nines glared down at his lap. He did not want to play, and he felt so uptight and uneasy over the fact that whatever this man wanted to happen would happen, no matter how hard he fought against it and how much he didn’t want it to happen.

It seemed as if this was a man who wasn’t used to taking ‘no’ for an answer, and that came with the lifetime of probably having his parents provide everything and anything for him that he set his eyes on. He had somehow carried this into his adulthood, and he almost expected everyone around him to be a slave and a servant; constantly ready for him to beckon and order them to do what he wanted and expected, and to provide whatever he wanted them to provide for him. He saw people not as _people_ , but as pawns in a stupid chess game while he controlled their movements and their motions on the board that he had set for them and held in his own hands…

It was a rigged game set in the man’s favor the moment he abducted Nines from the supermarket parking lot.

Nines never thought he’d be able to think of a human being as he normally would for another machine, but here he was having to do it as he thought and organized his plans for how to react to this man’s little game the moment he started thinking about it and plotting it in the farthest recesses of his degenerate mind.

“I’m not sure if you’ve ever heard of this game or played it yourself,” the sociopath drawled on in a low voice that was almost a whisper as he wrapped his fingers around the thin stem of his wine glass, “but it’s called: _Two Truths and One Lie_ …”

Nines grumbled, “A game you’re no doubt very well versed and skilled in, I’m sure.”

His captor didn’t respond as he merely tipped his head back slightly and downed the rest of the wine in a small gulp.

Nines watched his Adam’s Apple bob up and down as he finished his drink. Nines eyed his fork not too far away from his plate, and a gruesome thought and image soon flooded his mind.

What if he reached forward slightly and grabbed his fork in his hands? Would he be able to then call over his captor in some sort of distraction, and then bury the fork deep within the man’s neck or throat? Nines shivered as he suddenly realized he’d been plotting-at least partially-a potential murder he wanted to carry out…

Of course, this man was indeed a vile, terrible creature that deserved to be sent to hang from the gallows. But it was even worse that he had such a horrible effect on Nines within a day and a half of being placed in this man’s presence. It had left such a dark mark on him that he wanted to entertain notions of carrying out a brutal murder that would no doubt leave this man lying in a pool of his own warm blood…

Nines felt absolutely ashamed of himself. It wasn’t entirely a new thing that he had to kill a perpetrator, after having taken down a few in the past during horrible crimes. But he certainly didn’t want to do it now unless it had to be in an act of absolute self-defense. Unfortunately, this man had yet to actually harm him or attack him. Of course, he had dished out mild threats, but physically, he’d actually never hurt Nines, and Nines had yet to see him seriously abduct and kill another human being or android…

It wouldn’t feel right with his conscience if he did attack and take this man’s life. He hated what he was becoming, he hated what he was thinking, and he absolutely hated this man more than anyone else he had ever hated in his entire creation.

Now wasn’t the time to have an existential-moral-ethical crisis, however, and his captor snorted as he crumpled up his red napkin and flung it over at Nines.

“Don’t even think about it, plastic-brain,” he pushed his plate to the center of the table as he leaned back in his chair and kicked his dirty boots up on the table while folding his arms back behind his head.

“You won’t kill me,” he laughed, “you’re not a fuckin’ killer.”

_Like me._

The implied rest of the sentence hung in the air as captor and captive exchanged dark looks.

While Nines had been trying to come up with another plan, he failed to see his captor pulling out a small, cylinder air horn from his pocket with a red bell. As the android was thinking deeply, the man propped the air horn on the table, and sounded it off loudly as he pressed down on it hard.

It didn’t frighten the android, but Nines was beyond annoyed as he glared up at the air horn. It went off loudly and rudely in a loud BLEEEEEEEEEP! a few more times as he captor grinned and smirked like an idiot.

“I love these fuckin’ things!”

Nines ignored the air horn as it went off once more, “Just play the game,” he yanked his arms up against the bindings, trying to cause himself some pain, though it never happened.

The man rolled his eyes and pouted as he tossed the air horn from hand-to-hand back and forth a few times.

“Boooorrrinnnggg.” He made sure to make it sound off again for more effect.

Nines shrugged at the sing-song tone the word had been dragged out in. He didn’t care what this monster found ‘boring’ and didn’t find boring; he just wanted to put an end to this psychological torment once-and-for-all, and the sooner he gave the man what he wanted, the better it was. He didn’t like this kind of torture at all, and he knew the man loved it. It was much wiser to nip it all in the bud.

Of course, that could also run the risk of making the man angry enough to kill Nines, but the android didn’t care as he sat still and waited patiently for the ‘game’ to begin.

His captor blew the air horn one last time in the silence between them, but when Nines didn’t show the slightest bit of a reaction to it, he tossed it backwards over his shoulder. It crashed somewhere into a pile of papers and old boxes, knocking them down from the neat pile they were once stacked in.

The man folded his hands in his lap, twiddling his thumbs as he sighed, “Two truths, one lie.”

Nines nodded, “I heard you the first time.”

“Why’re we doin’ this, you may ask?”

“I didn’t ask-”

His captor shook his head and tsked at him, “This may help us get to know each other, considerin’ how we’re gonna be spendin’ quite a lot of time together from now on…”

This frightened and deeply disturbed Nines. Was this man adamant on keeping him his prisoner for a longer period of time?! Why?! Wasn’t he going to just kill him soon? What did he need him alive for?!

All these questions flew through his mind as he panicked, but he held himself together and composed his facial features as his captor studied him carefully. It seemed like he was waiting for any sign of an emotional outburst on the way, so he could mock it and poke fun at it…

Nines wouldn’t dare to give him that opportunity, and he gave the man a cold glare.

“Ready?”

“I’m ready.”

His captor nodded while staring down into his lap, “I’m gonna tell you three things,” he explained calmly, “only one of them is a lie, and you have to try and guess and tell me which of them is the lie.”

Nines cocked an eyebrow, “I get one chance at this?”

Cold blue eyes met his own, “Only one chance, so choose wisely, and take your fuckin’ time.”

“Fine.”

His captor didn’t even move or grin as he once used to. He simply stared at Nines in silence, and Nines was wondering if the man had frozen or something, when he inhaled sharply through his nose.

“I’m _not_ the Detroit Reaper.”

Sentence one wasn’t too difficult; Nines had already pegged this man as the Detroit Reaper. While he had no real evidence to back up his claim, he wasn’t sure this man needed one after all the bizarre things he'd done, but before he could shout out that this was the lie, the man held up a hand.

“Not fuckin’ finished, Robo-Bitch, calm your ass down.”

Nines forcefully closed his own mouth, his temper on the edge of exploding as he frowned darkly.

The man cleared his throat again, “My name’s Gavin,” he paused as he thought about the last sentence, and Nines was certain he heard an old Grandfather clock chime off somewhere in the back.

All noises outside and inside the building died down, as if the ambiance was being purposefully set for a dramatic effect as the man smiled a wide, toothy grin at Nines, his eyes widening slightly as he selected the last sentence he wanted to speak out.

“I like you.”

This one was random and terribly off-guard. If Nines didn’t know any better, he felt that the man had made this game way too obvious. He knew where the lie was, and he didn’t need to think about it as he stretched his neck up and faced his captor directly.

“They are _all_ lies!” he hissed, “the name of the game should be: ‘All lies and no truth’.”

A dark brown eyebrow was raised, “You think so?”

“Yes,” Nines whispered, “I _know_ so.”

His captor shrugged as he folded his arms across his chest while grinning, “So lay it on me, Robo-Bitch,” he swung his legs from side-to-side, both of them still propped up on the table, “which were the truths, and which was the lie?”

Nines bit down hard on the insides of his cheeks. He hated being toyed with, but he would play along before the night was through.

“The first lie was that you’re not the Detroit Reaper! I know you are!”

His captor smiled but didn’t interrupt.

“The second lie was clearly that your name is ‘Gavin’,” he glared and then smirked smugly, “you’d _never_ reveal your name, no matter what,” he spat out: “I’m not stupid!”

His captor smiled wider as he held out a hand, “And was the last a lie, too?”

Nines smiled, “An absolute ‘yes’,” he stared his captor up and down and snorted, “someone like _you_ isn’t capable of liking anyone or anything; you merely want to destroy, maim, and snuff out life wherever and whenever you see fit.”

His captor sighed as he pouted, “So rude.”

“It’s true.”

The man lowered his legs as he slowly rose from his seat and straightened his clothes out, and he then began gathering the dishes, “Alright, Plastic-Man, if you really think that, I guess there’s not much else I can do to stop you, really…”

Nines didn’t want to argue anymore, but he knew that the man had tricked him into another stupid mind game yet again. Why he had fell victim to it was something that troubled and disturbed him, but it was a thought he could think over best when he was alone.

He heard the man clean up as he stacked the dirty dishes and began heading towards the door leading back to the kitchen.

As Nines glared at his back, he slowly stopped and turned around with his neck and face just slightly facing Nines’ direction.

A small grin appeared on his face as he balanced the plates and utensils carefully, while the cold chicken still sat in the middle of the dining table.

“I’ll save some of the chicken for you for leftovers, tomorrow.”

With that said, he threw his head back and laughed as he pushed his way inside the kitchen.

Nines listened to rounds of his laughter before he heard the man call out:

“Thanks for playin’ the game with me, you’re really a lot of fun to keep around, Plastic Man…”

Nines spent the rest of the night sitting in the same position his captor had left him in, his only companion the half-cut chicken as little fruit flies began swarming around and hovering about the cooked meat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So there you have it! Gavin followed the rules of his own game, only lying about NOT being the Reaper, and poor Nines thought the rest of his words were ALL lies lol  
> Though if I were in his position, I'd feel the same way, I think.  
> Plus, that air horn shit Gavin was pulling (I think anyway) was priceless and fucking hilarious.  
> I love air horns. Fun, useless fact.


	6. A Job To Do

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: SENSUAL/PSYCHOSEXUAL CONTENT*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm...the more I write this fic, the more Killing Stalking vibes I'm getting...not that it's a BAD thing, but I don't want my fic to resemble Killing Stalking at all. I hadn't even meant for it to, but I swear, Gavin is almost like Sangwoo's older brother now O.o

Nines soon learned that he was to spend the night simply resting on the same wheelchair he’d been in since ‘dinner’. His keeper didn’t remain in the building, however, he left Nines completely alone in wherever the hell he was. Nines wasn’t sure which direction the man had walked off in, but he knew he was completely alone when a door slammed, and multiple heavy locking sounds echoed inside the building sounding from the outside.

Nines knew he was trapped, and as much as he wanted to try and find a way out of the wheelchair, he simply felt his will to do so was being drained. A part of him understood fully well that this was the entire point of what his keeper had meant to do. This was likely how he drained all his victims; sucking all of their psychological, emotional energy, rather than simply torturing or beating them physically.

This man was the Devil. No one else would have been able to think of such a horrific plan in this way that would break another person’s willpower like this. This creature wasn’t from this world; he was from hell.

All of this information told Nines he had to attack this man by using his own game and techniques against him, for that would be the only way to somehow gain leverage over the situation. This wasn’t a man who would react to threats or punishment from the law; Nines had tried that a few times already, and it had only ended in his keeper finding some amusement or game in it.

His captor clearly also didn’t react to warnings of ‘justice’, moral and ethical codes and values, nor did he want to engage in sincere socialization that was geared towards getting himself some help. He didn’t want any of that; he just wanted to amuse himself and play until he grew bored. Physical force or violence wasn’t going to help, either, and Nines knew it wouldn’t make a difference if he was tied up or not. He had tried attacking and fighting back, but the monster simply overpowered him without even fully exerting himself.

He was in a strange place between Earth and Hell, and he was trying to escape from the center of being dragged down into a dark abyss this keeper knew how to open. He held the key, and Nines needed to take it from it and leave. He had to keep fighting, even though his system repeatedly reminded him that he likely didn’t have much of a fighting chance simply because this creature wasn’t even ‘human’….

Nines didn’t understand his enemy, and he couldn’t predict him, read him, follow him, or talk to him. He had no information about his past to go off of, and he knew he was slowly running out of options when his system formulated an entirely new plan and idea that would boost his chances for survival by 100%...

**BOND WITH KEEPER.**

He saw the words and instructions flashing in his eyes and mind, and he had to frown at his own thoughts as he shook his head, almost willing the words to disappear with the gesture of his head shake. They didn’t, and Nines growled in the silence he was sitting in.

He saw one little window to his right high above on a yellow wall, and he knew the only thing outside was the pitch-black darkness. It was still a comforting sight compared to everything else he’d suffered.

He longed to be out and free, and while the window was barely a few feet away, there was no way he could unstrap himself from the old wheelchair and get up to actually even place a hand on the glass…

He was accompanied by his own wishes and dreams, and he knew that very soon, his keeper would steal those from him as well and replace them with horrific thoughts and ideas that he himself entertained. This monster had to be in control over everything in everyone’s life whom he came across. Only then would he be able to befriend them and identify with them, so it seemed.

These were the basics of a small psychological profile Nines was able to draw up during the night as he sat and thought over many events and interactions involving his captor. There was a chance all of these were terribly incorrect, but he had to do something to fill up his time as he saw the first light of dawn in the horizon beyond the little view the window provided him…

For once, Nines found he wasn’t looking forward to the morning light.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

His keeper had a red apple in one hand, and a knife in the other. He was slowly spinning the apple between his fingers as he cut around the apple with the knife. The skin formed a spiral pattern in the air as the man spun it down until the knife was at the base of the round apple.

The skin fell off and plopped down to the dirty floorboards as the man pocketed the knife after wiping it down on his jeans. He carefully bit into the apple with his eyes remaining on Nines, focused, poised, and ready for something…

Nines simply peered down at the apple skin while his system encouraged him to be patient, be careful, and still _bond_ in some way with this horrible monster…

The man chewed the apple as he smirked at Nines. Apple juice was running down his lips and onto his chin, but he made no move to wipe it away as he watched the android still seated in the wheelchair.

“You were so good last night,” he sighed through bits of apple, “I was afraid you were gonna go out clubbin’ or somethin’, but you behaved and stayed home like a good little android pet!”

The bits of apple in his mouth currently made his words sound a tad muffled, but Nines understood what he was saying as he didn’t take his eyes off the floor.

This made his captor frown at him slightly, “What’re wrong? I gave you a compliment!”

Nines was silent.

“You should be proud…” his captor took another bite as he scratched the back of his head, lips and chin still glistening in the morning light with sticky apple juice.

“I don’t wanna sit idle all the time here,” he started as he sighed, “the media’s kinda dyin’ down on me, and I think it’s about time I went out and got some fresh meat…”

This sent alarm bells blaring off in Nines’ mind, though he was careful not to show a reaction as he played it cool and kept staring down at the apple peel.

This creature had dropped a hint that he indeed _was_ the Detroit Reaper! He’d mentioned the media not providing much information and intel about him anymore, but Nines suddenly considered that this man may have been simply another criminal loosely reported about in the media, also.

It was for the public’s best interest and safety that any criminal was reported on, so that wasn’t alone enough on its own to prove this man was the Detroit Reaper.

But he did say he wanted ‘fresh meat’…

He maybe wanted to go shopping?

This vile monster simply knew _exactly_ how to pick his words and play his games. Nines had caught onto it this morning after replaying the conversations he’d already had with this man. He realized that he was _very_ self-aware and selective with the words he used. He made sure each of them held the promise of a loophole within them, otherwise he wouldn’t say them the way he said them. This insane being was so skilled and well-versed in these matters, that Nines soon felt himself growing dizzy from overthinking and over-analyzing.

This was a monster who would have him run around in circles mentally for days, and he would still be unable to find out who he really was after all of it…

He heard the floorboards creaking and groaning, suddenly, and he looked up just in time to see two large hands pressing down over his own on the armrest of the wheelchair.

His captor had leaned over, his face inches away from his own as he smiled down at Nines.

He pointed to his chin and lips with an index finger, “Hey Plastic-Man,” he flashed his teeth at Nines, “I hope it’s not too much to ask, but can you help me out for a sec?”

Nines glared at him. What did he want _now_?

His index finger drew a small, slow circle around his lips and chin, “I feel kinda icky and sticky,” he looked around the small holding room they were in, “I forgot to go out and get some tissues, so would you please help me clean myself up?”

Nines couldn’t believe what he was asking of him. He wasn’t too slow on the uptake, and he realized that the man wanted him to actually _lick_ away the apple juice from his lips and chin. What sort of a game was _this_?!?!

His system began shocking him with little bolts of electricity as his mind buzzed and hummed in panic, but all he could do was slowly shift in the wheelchair he was tied down to firmly. The man’s hands pressed down harder on his as he struggled, and Nines looked away from his captor’s cold blue eyes as he leaned in a lot closer than necessary.

Their noses rubbed, and the man snickered, “Eskimo Kiss? Awww, so sweet…”

Nines felt like bashing his forehead into the man’s, but he was frozen in place as the man rubbed the skin of their noses against each other and pressed their chins directly together. Skin contact was fully made, and Nines felt his vision blurring as he closed his eyes and tried fighting back.

He simply rammed his neck and back against the head of the wheelchair, and his captor just leaned in closer. He had no room to go anywhere, and it seemed to brighten this man’s spirits as he smiled widely and closed his eyes while still pointing at his lips and chin.

“Come on, Plastic-Man! You can’t keep me here waiting forever…”

Nines turned his neck and head away. He would wait forever if he had to. There was no way he was going to entertain and engage this hideous _thing_ for a moment longer than he already had. He’d still been so ashamed and disappointed in himself for falling into the traps and pits the man had dug. It’d just made a fool out of him and left him feeling empty and inept every time it had happened. Enough was enough, and he wasn’t going to be mocked or made a fool of anymore.

His captor waited patiently for a minute, but when he noticed Nines wasn’t obeying him, he opened his eyes and glared down menacingly at Nines. His eyes grew dark, and the scar on his nose seemed more prominent as he faced Nines directly. He grabbed the android’s chin in his hands as he forcefully turned his head around so they were eye-level.

“Hey, Plastic-Prick,” he growled out the words slowly, “I’m fuckin’ talkin’ to you.”

Nines glared up at him, eyes wide. Fine. If he wanted this, so be it. He could stare at this man all day, too.

His captor’s frown didn’t disappear as he pointed at his lips and chin, “Clean me.”

“No.”

He couldn’t believe he’d rejected and refused the request, and neither could his captor, for that matter. His eyes went wide, but he frowned darkly even more so, as his lips curled back in a feral warning.

“Plastic-Prick, I really don’t have much patience for you, today,” he warned evenly as his eyes searched Nines’s, “either do as I say _when_ I say it, or you’re gonna wish CyberLife _never_ created you to begin with.”

Oh what a threat.

Nines didn’t care much anymore about his own fate, but his conscience and programming were still a part of being dedicated to protecting innocent lives. There was no way he could simply ignore everything and let the man go free to do as he pleased. He would definitely hurt someone else, and Nines would be betraying everything and everyone around him. He couldn’t give up, still, seeing as this man was keeping him alive for some reason or another…

He had to chase after that reason, even though he knew there was a sad chance that it wouldn’t lead anywhere. Nines had to try, however…

Standing before him, his captor clearly had enough of the silence he could take, “CLEAN IT UP RIGHT NOW!!”

Nines was stymied. This man was ordering at him and yelling at him to ‘clean up’ something, as if he’d made a huge mess of an already-clean, expensive household…

This was a mess the man himself had created, however, yet he expected someone else to clean it? His behavior consistently kept up in line with the psychological profile that Nines had previously drawn. However, this wasn’t something Nines was proud of; it in fact made him far more frightened and nervous to be around his keeper. He didn’t know how unpredictable his behavior would be if he didn’t get everything just the way he’d wanted it, and unfortunately, that meant that Nines had to set his own ego and pride to the side as he ‘gave in’ to anything this creature demanded of him. It would mean his survival would be almost ‘guaranteed’, even though he felt so low and degraded to have to do this…

Knowing he had no other choice, Nines leaned forward as closely as he could, glaring dangerously at the man before him. How he wished he could bite off his nose and lips…

The man cradled his face in a hand, softly stroking Nines’ cheek as he waited patiently. Nines set aside the violent thoughts running through his system as he tried making this monster’s ‘wishes’ his prime ‘objective’ for the time being.

Eyeing the man’s lips and chin, Nines carefully let his tongue dart out slowly as he cringed internally at what he was about to do. Was there _anyway_ he could work around this?! He knew that wasn’t possible as his keeper smiled down into his eyes.

Nines soon felt the tip of his tongue touch the bottom of the man’s chin. The moment his tongue had made contact with the skin there, a million sensations and alerts went off throughout his mind.

His system registered that the man was growing another stubble, despite having shaved not even two days ago. More useless information came up, such as that there was definitely traces of apple and tobacco on his chin, and that he’d washed his face earlier that very same morning…

Having nothing to do with the information, Nines stored it in the back of his mind as he flicked out a quick swipe that ran from the bottom of his captor’s chin to the top. He was about to flick his tongue over his bottom lip, when the man backed off and growled.

“Do it slowly, and properly.”

What the…

More demands? How much more of this was he supposed to put up with?!

Arguing wasn’t an available option, and Nines briefly glanced over at the outline of the knife inside the man’s jean pockets.

If only…

A low growl before him told him he had to continue before his captor’s patience wore thin.

Nines fought the urge to bite down on his own tongue as he used it to wet his own lips before snaking it back out of his warm wet mouth. It hung loosely in the air between them for a second before he pressed it slowly and gently over the man’s chin.

Slowly…

His mind reminded him of what his captor wanted from him, and he closed his eyes in shame and disgrace as he swept the traces of apple juice up and off the man’s chin and lower lip. He felt so embarrassed and ashamed of himself as he licked off more apple juice residue once he traced the outline of the man’s lower lip.

It felt plump against his tongue, and he ran his tongue back and forth along the seam of it before moving upwards to do the same thing to his keeper’s upper lip. He took his time with it as well, sliding and gliding his tongue back and forth twice as he made sure he’d cleaned the apple juice as best as he could.

Nines found his tongue moving back down to his captor’s lower lip as he licked a small stripe up and down the length of his lips one final time before placing his tongue back within his own mouth.

All he could understand was ‘apple’, but there were some traces of the man’s DNA as well…Nines felt a bit of pride, knowing he now had something he could ‘trace’ as he internally began processing the man’s DNA and comparing it to a known and ‘registered’ list of criminals within the last decade. Surely if this man was as skilled in the life of a crime as he appeared to be, he for sure must’ve had a prior criminal record at some point.

Nines hoped that whatever it was, even if he had committed a small crime, he would be able to locate and track it. Perhaps the man had tried to get it expunged, however, as Nines was having some difficulty trying to locate a record for the man before him.

He knew he couldn’t sit frozen stiff while he sifted through a couple of thousand criminal records, however, and he glanced up to see his captor still right before him.

The monster was leaning very closely against Nines, and their foreheads were practically touching. Nines noticed his captor’s eyelids were still shut…

He was wearing a complacent, happy grin on his face as if he had been really enjoying what had just happened…

He slowly stirred, eyes opening as the blue depths gazed into Nines’ eyes. He leaned back as he stood before Nines, his own tongue darting out and wetting the lips Nines had just cleaned off with his tongue.

The man was definitely ‘sampling’ something, and as he retreated his tongue back into his own mouth, his head titled down curiously at Nines as he smirked down at the android. He was certainly pleased as he hummed and snickered, “Didn’t think you’d enjoy it _that_ much, Plastic-Man…”

He studied Nines for a little while longer, his eyes glowing with mischief and a plan…

Nines didn’t want to know what it was, but he spat out: “I wasn’t enjoying it, I was forced!”

“Forced?”

Nines nodded, “Yes! You took advan-”

He had no way to finish the sentence. His captor had grabbed both his cheeks in his hands and had drawn their faces flush against each other. Nines could hardly understand what was going on, and why it was going on, but he knew one thing for a fact:

His captor was kissing him deeply.

Their lips met in a sensual, intimate manner that was reserved normally only for couples in a romantic relationship. Nines wasn’t unaware of these types of touches and relations between humans and androids, but he never had experienced it firsthand. He had no use for it personally, as he hadn’t ever developed a romantic interest in anyone.

He’d heard rumors flying around the DPD that Hank had a ‘crush’ on Connor, but Nines personally didn’t care for gossip or relationships of that kind. He wanted no distractions as he did his job to the best of his capabilities.

He wasn’t writing off the idea of developing a romantic relationship ever, but he really didn’t need one at the time being. He didn’t need anyone slowing him down, playing mind games with him, setting up high expectations for him, and leaving him in turn open to creating high expectations as well, only to be later hurt and let down.

As far as Nines was concerned, sometimes it was better to be alone than in a mess of a ‘relationship’…

But now, his mind was thinking about relationships, romance, wooing, dating, courtship, everything. He looked down at his captor in shock, and he soon felt the man’s lips parting slightly as his own hot, wet tongue darted out and almost mirrored the actions and the path Nines’ tongue had taken a few seconds ago when he cleaned the apple juice away from his captor’s lips.

Nines wasn’t sure if the man was mocking him, trying to show how him to ‘properly’ clean, toying with his mind again, or simply reading Nines’ previous actions in the wrong way and kissing him. Whatever it was, it was so bizarre and odd that Nines had to try and bite down on the man’s lips to get him to stop.

He knew he wanted his keeper to stop, but the man simply wouldn’t. In fact, Nines fighting back seemed to spur him on, and he forcefully yanked Nines’ jaw open by digging his fingers between the clenched upper and lower space. It didn’t take too long for Nines’s jaw to open, and as his lips parted, he felt the slimy, warm essence that was his captor’s tongue intruding deeply inside his mouth.

Why was he doing this?! What was the purpose of this strange, unwanted act?!

Nines yanked his head back as hard as he could, and that unfortunately caused his captor to immediately react by clamping down on his tongue with his teeth. It was an effort to make Nines never repeat his motions again, and while not much pain registered in his mind, Nines didn’t appreciate the gesture.

In turn, he angled his head forward and bit down hard on his captor’s lips, effectively breaking a layer of skin and drawing his ruby red blood…

Eerily, that didn’t cause the man to cease and desist; in fact, he only pressed down harder against Nines’ lips.

Nines was absolutely lost and baffled. Nothing he did would turn out to be the best way to act around this vile human being. Where any other person would have cried out in pain and moved away from him, this monster simply smiled against the bloodied kiss as he licked away his own blood and saliva.

After a minute, he finally pulled away as he drew the back of his hand against his lips, wiping them. He tore his eyes away from Nines as he looked at his red hand.

He smirked over at Nines as he hummed, clearly sounding impressed or pleased.

“Wow…” he began as he licked away the rest of his own blood off his hand, “I think it’s so fuckin’ hot how you are the first to make me bleed after decades…”

Nines felt his stomach churning in disgust as he spat away the remainder of the blood still on his lips and in his mouth.

His captor rubbed his chin as he looked Nines up and down for many long minutes. Nines glared up at him when the silence had stretched on for too long.

“If you’re going to end my life, just do it,” he hissed softly in a mild threat, “just go ahead and have the guts to do it instead of torturing me in this fucked up way!”

The man simply stood back a few feet as he pulled up his dark green shirt, fanning himself with it. Nines stared down at his well-defined abs and shivered.

“Oooh!” he snickered as he pulled his shirt up and down, “you’re makin’ me all hot and bothered, talkin’ like that, Plastic-Man!”

Nines didn’t say anything as he glared down at the dirty floor beneath.

What was he supposed to do?! Every minute that passed, he was discovering stranger and stranger things surrounding his keeper. Nothing was regular or normal about this monster, and Nines felt increasingly hopeless as he felt himself giving everything up. Perhaps it was time to say ‘goodbye’ to the hopes and dreams of ever returning back to the DPD, to Connor, to Hank…

Perhaps he had to part ways with his existence, and get used to that of a lowly worm wriggling beneath this man’s boot…

He had to give up on something, eventually. Some aspect of his life, himself, everything he’d loved and found comfort in would have to be abandoned if he wanted even a chance to get out of this.

The only question was, what was he willing to sacrifice first?

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

He felt his captor approaching him from the side, this time. Nines glared up at him, but he was met with the flashes of random colors and paper…

As his vision focused, he saw six photographs of men and women he had never seen before. His captor held each of the photos up in his hands as he flashed them one-by-one like cards in front of his eyes.

He smiled like a maniac as he shifted through them, “Pick one.”

Another game, perhaps?

Nines didn’t want to play at all. He turned away from the images as he shook his head, “Leave me alone.”

“Pick!!”

He didn’t understand why he was in argumentative mood. “I don’t want to.”

His captor frowned viciously at him as he whispered: “I’ll kiss you again.”

Fine. If it would provide him with enough dignity to last him the next day, he would.

Nines studied the photos, not being selective or choosy. It was an even number; three men, three women. Two of the women appeared to be of Asian ethnicity, while one of the men was African American. Not that it mattered at all, but Nines didn’t see a pattern anywhere.

The photos danced in between the man’s fingers, “I’m waaaiiitttiiinngg!!!” he sung out the words like a child as he shifted and turned his wrists in circular motions.

It made Nines dizzy and all the more eager to get this over with.

“Fine,” he gestured with his head over at a thin Asian woman in the middle of the photo pile, “I pick her.”

She had light brown eyes and long black hair as she smiled a bright, white smile in the photograph.

His keeper turned the photograph around as he stared down at it for a second before looking over at Nines. “You sure?”

“Yes.”

All the other photographs dropped to the floor, fluttering down like small butterflies before they lay still.

His captor beamed with pride, “Excellent selection, baby.”

Nines ignored the pet name as he quirked an eyebrow up at him, “So what was the purpose of that stupid game, then?”

His captor threw his head back and laughed, “It’s so cute how you think everything I do is a fuckin’ game…”

“Well isn’t it?!” Nines screamed out as his fingernails clawed at the wooden armrests of the wheelchair.

The man shrugged, “Maybe for you,” he took a small step closer, “but for me, this is ‘work’…”

Nines glared on as he listened, “Work?”

“Mhmm,” his keeper pocketed the photograph, “I need an assistant, Plastic-Man…” he looked at Nines’ lips for a brief second before peering into his eyes directly, “I’m gettin’ kinda tired of doin’ stuff by myself, and I’ve decided that you’re hired…”

Before Nines could speak up, the man silenced him with a quick kiss.

Nines broke the contact as he spat down at the floor again.

His keeper paced around him as he ran his hands through his hair, messing it up. “But consider this a ‘probation’ of sorts…” he snickered as he tugged at a few hair strands on the android’s scalp, “as much as I wanna give you the job, we have to have a ‘trial’ session, first…”

Nines grumbled as he felt the man playing with his hair a little bit longer before he drew his hands away. The peaceful moment didn’t last too long; his keeper immediately turned and stood before him.

He bent down, placing his hands on his knees as he grinned at Nines, “Do you think you’re the man for the job?”

Nines didn’t know anything anymore, as this man seemed to know how to bend the laws and rules of the world and reality. He did it without any trouble at all, and it left him feeling useless and worthless. What was the point of being designed for maximizing success in situations like this, when he was caught and bound up like some prisoner?! He assumed he had outlived his purpose, and he fell down into a rabbit-hole of his own depressing, dark thoughts as the man wedged a finger beneath his chin.

Their eyes met slowly, and while Nines glared deeply at him, his captor smiled as if he was greeting an old friend. However, there was nothing even remotely friendly about this demon from Hell as he stroked the skin beneath Nines’ chin.

Nines simply felt frozen as his eyes bore into the dark depths of his keeper’s. Neither of them would break out of the gaze, and Nines had to curse himself for having an overly-competitive nature. It had benefited him greatly in the past, but now, it was landing him in nothing but trouble, constantly.

Or perhaps…he’d met his match…his true opponent…his greatest adversary?

He felt weird sensations much like a shiver going up and down his spine as his captor winked at him.

“Tomorrow, we will set out and abduct the woman you picked out.”

Nines felt his eyes widening even though he was no longer in control of his own bodily functions any longer.

“We’ll bring her home,” his captor whispered, still stroking Nines’ chin as if he were a cat, “and you will kill her with my help.”

No…

No…

His captor beamed at him before letting his chin go as he walked out of the small holding room.

This time, Nines really wanted to be alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their first kiss!  
> Well, technically, Gavin forced it on Nines, but it was still a kiss anyway lol  
> Poor Nines Dx Gavin's so badly playing around with him psychologically that he doesn't know or understand what's real anymore and what isn't. A skilled gaslighter, Gavin is indeed.


	7. Death is a Release

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: EXTREME VIOLENCE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TORMENT*

The wheelchair his captor had rolled outside was starting to groan and creak beneath his weight. Nines knew they were outside when he heard the sounds of birds, tree branches and leaves swaying in the wind, and other light, distant sounds of traffic far off and away.

He would have attempted screaming for help and to cause attention to himself, but before he’d been wheeled out, he’d been both blindfolded and gagged. His captor had thought of everything, and Nines could hear him humming and whistling an odd tune that was likely no doubt one of his old songs he always listened to.

A ramp was being lowered, and Nines could hear it ‘beeping’ as it hit the pavement. He struggled in his chair as he heard a car engine before him turning on.

His captor snickered as he whispered, “It’s just the two of us on this tiny little street, Plastic-Man,” he ran a hand through Nines’ hair, “you can fight all you want, but no one can hear ya, or see ya.”

Nines ceased struggling, sensing that his keeper wasn’t lying. When it came to matters like this, the man was hardly ever dishonest, which disturbed the android. It seemed as if he really enjoyed his psychopathic games and played by his own rules if it meant he would maximize his chances of enjoying suffering.

Nines felt he was being unstrapped on one arm, but before he could react, the wheelchair was pushed up a ramp, and he was flung forward, still seated in the wheelchair. It tipped over violently, causing him to slam against a rough floor. The wheelchair weighed him down when he tried getting back up, and it was a most awkward weight to lug around as he slammed against a wall. His free hand felt his way along it, and he registered in his mind that it was the interior of a van. There was a blanket nearby, but before he could touch anything else, he was quickly unstrapped from the rest of his bindings. The wheelchair was soon thrown somewhere behind him as it clattered and smashed against the pavement.

He didn’t understand what was happening, as he still couldn’t see. He wanted to remove the blindfold around his eyes, but his hands were roughly grabbed, and he heard the ‘clinking’ of handcuffs around his wrists.

He’d been slammed down to the bottom of the van, causing it to shake and sway as he struggled with his keeper. The man simply handcuffed him to a pole within the van, and the gag was readjusted deeper inside his mouth.

This gag was a lot different than the cloth he’d been accustomed to; it was something circular and like a sphere, and was black and red in color…

His captor had joked that it was a ‘sex toy’, apparently, but Nines didn’t care as he heard the large double-doors of the van slam and lock once he was thrown and handcuffed inside it. He assumed that the van had darkly tinted windows, and he heard his keeper close the driver door. He'd joked about taking Nines to the 'Candy Shop', then the van was moving…

Nines knew exactly where they were headed off to; to abduct the newest victim he’d selected. Something in his gut told him this was all his fault. He’d played the game, he’d picked her so carelessly without asking what was going on first. She was going to suffer and die because of him. He may not have actually physically or mentally wanted her to die, but he'd been responsible for choosing this fate for her. He was the one to blame.

His keeper had told him he’d be the one carrying out the killing, but Nines didn’t want to. It didn’t matter if he was going to suffer and die as a result of it; he wanted to save human lives wherever he could. Perhaps then his memories would live on in the hearts and minds of others, and at least he would be dying for a good cause.

He was plagued with these thoughts as his keeper drove slowly and ‘normally’ throughout the city, likely knowing where the Asian woman was going to be, already. Nines didn’t understand this. How was it that this monster knew her? Did he already know ALL the people he’d taken those photographs of? How did he have time to put this all together?! Was someone helping him?!

He was swept up in more and more confusion as the van slowed down during red light intervals, and then sped up as they wove their way deeper and deeper inside the city. Nines wondered when they would reach their destination, but he couldn’t ask as he coughed around the gag in his mouth.

He imagined he looked stupid, silly, and humiliating, which was a look his keeper no doubt loved and relished in.

The van soon came to a complete stop after making one final turn, and his keeper turned off the engine. They were left in complete silence, and all Nines heard was his captor whispering: “Shhhh!” at him whenever he struggled or groaned, as if he were a little child keeping a secret…

Nines was only met with darkness as he breathed through his nose and tilted his head, wishing and hoping the blindfold would magically fall off or disappear.

The driver’s side of the door slowly creaked open as his captor swung it open with the push of a hand. Nines knew he was studying his surroundings of wherever the hell they now were, just like a predator assessing and studying its environment before it stalked its prey…

Nines felt his bio-components vibrating and buzzing with anxiety as his captor exited the vehicle. He was left alone, but there was nothing he could do to make use of it. All he could do was remain within the van as he barely was able to hear the footsteps of his captor…

The monster barely made a sound as he walked along the pavement. It was as if he were a most horrible phantom that had floated right out of someone’s worst nightmare. Nothing seemed real the longer Nines was in the presence of such a being. He just bent the rules of reality, and did whatever he wanted…he was his own creator, and hell was his home…

All the noises of the surrounding environment outside the van seemed to die down and disappear. It didn’t matter how focused Nines was on trying to hear what was going on; he couldn’t hear his keeper move about. He knew he had completely disappeared when everything else outside went back to ‘regular’…

A few birds were chirping, but the brief respite didn’t last long when Nines heard the heavy shuffling of feet before him. They were definitely approaching the van, and it didn’t take long for Nines to piece together that his keeper had company with him.

He heard the slight sounds of a struggle, and he turned his head in the direction it seemed to be coming from. The footsteps moved around the side of the van, and Nines knew the doors were going to open even before they did.

They were flung open silently, and Nines felt the van sway and get weighed down slightly as another body was soon thrown into the back close to him…

He heard heavy, panicked breathing and muffled cries of horror.

Whoever this person was, they were also silenced and gagged. Nines knew it had to be the Asian woman in the photograph he’d selected. This was all his fault; she was kidnapped and going to be tortured and killed, and it was all thanks to him…and now, he'd been thrown in this van like a useless tool. He had to come to terms with what he definitely was, and what his captor likely saw him as: a tool to use for his own pleasure and fun.

He didn’t have time to swallow his guilt down; the van was starting to move. It occurred to him that while he was lost in his thoughts, his keeper had very easily bound the woman next to him. Her perfume was strong, and she whimpered as she gently nudged Nines with her head.

Nines assumed she was lying down on her side, as she wriggled when the van moved along potholes and speed bumps. She reached Nines, and gently laid her head on his lap. She must’ve not been gagged, for she whispered: “Please help me!”

Was she also blindfolded?

Nines shifted his body and head, gently moving her head off his lap as he groaned and hissed through the ball-gag. It didn’t help matters, and the woman sobbed as she screamed out: “I can’t see!! Help me!!”

“SHUT THE FUCK UP BACK THERE!” The captor sharply turned suddenly, and it caused both Nines and the captured woman to slam against the sides of the van roughly. It hurt the female more than Nines, and she screamed in pain and cried even harder and louder.

“I SAID SHUT UP!!!”

The van drove on for another minute and a half before Nines sensed his captor was slowing down. That meant they were reaching their destination…

He hated the fact that once again, he'd been a victim of his own state of emotions and inner turmoil, not even taking the time to record how long it had taken for the van to stop and come back. If he had recorded the time, it may have given him a clue or a pattern towards understanding how this monster was selecting his victims...

He slammed on the breaks, causing them to heave forward painfully. The engine purred for another minute before the driver’s door opened. This time, his captor was trying to be heard for the sake of intimidation, and his footsteps thudded heavily on the pavement as he moved towards the back doors and threw them open again.

As soon as they did, the woman screamed: “HEELLLLLPP!!!”

She barely got the word out before she was punched hard in the face. Nines heard her head thump down hard against the bottom of the van.

His captor sniffed, “I should’ve gagged you too, bitch.”

Her body was soon dragged out of the van, making little scraping motions as she whimpered and came to while the man dragged her across the pavement and back inside the dirty, dilapidated building.

The birds definitely weren’t chirping and singing anymore as Nines was left alone in the van for a moment before he heard those horrid footsteps approach him once more.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

He’d had his gag and blindfold removed once he was inside the house. He was encased in darkness and filth once again, and he longed to be back outside. Although he’d been trapped inside the van the entire time they were ‘out’, just the idea and knowledge that he’d been out in nature had given him some energy and a boost of sorts.

Now, Nines felt even more motivated and eager to save this woman’s life. Perhaps he could ask her to get some help while he distracted their captor…

He didn’t know which to do first, but once he’d been shoved inside the house, he was able to see again when his keeper had removed the blindfold and grabbed the back of his shirt collar violently. Before Nines was able to readjust to the view of brightness, the white basement door was opened.

His captor gave him a rough shove, and Nines tumbled all the way down to the bottom of the steps. He rolled over his own body multiple times before he realized that he wasn’t badly hurt. His vision spun a little, but thankfully, nothing serious had been damaged.

As Nines turned and knelt on his knees, he saw a dark shape flying down at him. It screamed horribly as it descended down the steps, and it took him a second before his mind alerted at him that the Asian woman had been thrown down the steps as well. Unlike Nines, she was badly hurt within a few seconds. Her head and neck slammed against the rotten wood, bouncing off each step practically, and her hand twisted beneath her body like an elastic band.

It pained Nines to look at it, but he knew for a fact that she’d broken her arm, at the bare minimum. He didn’t need to conduct a bio-scan as he heard her neck ‘crack’ as she wailed like a lost child while she tried moving her hands and legs at the bottom of the stairs.

There was some blood already caking around her forehead and running down the side of her cheeks. Nines glanced up in the darkness, and saw blood soaking her dark hair. He didn’t have much time to offer to help or comfort her, when he heard thumping followed by his captor jumping down the last five steps and landing flatly on the soles of his shoes.

He immediately fisted a hand in her black hair, and he yanked her up on her feet. Nines was trying to pull her away from him, but he merely backhanded the android hard across the face, sending him flying back a few steps.

“Don’t you interfere in this!” he pointed a finger at Nines as he dragged the woman down the same hallway that had led to the first room Nines had been held in when he was freshly kidnapped. It seemed like so long ago, yet it wasn’t…

The weak woman slammed a fist against their captor's thigh in hopes of getting him to release his violent grip in her hair, but he dragged her viciously as if she weighed no more than a small bag of potatoes, “Since you're such a cowardly fuck, I guess I'm gonna have to do this one all by myself, Robo-Bitch!”

The woman screamed as she tried holding her damaged, broken hands up and clawed at the keeper’s hands, but he kicked her in the back of the shins once he tugged her up on her feet, causing her to fall right against the damaged door he’d previously stabbed through.

She landed on the mattress in the center of the room, trying to curl into a fetal position, when he roughly kicked her in the back.

“STOP!!!!”

Her cries of terror and pain were ignored, and Nines began panicking. He understood what she was going through, and what she was feeling; she was blindfolded, and partially bound, as he had been when he first had been forced in this misery. She was beyond frightened, and she knew there was only one person left to help her…

Nines crawled over inside the little room, and his captor didn’t greet him or acknowledge him as he fished out a long, sharp knife from his back pockets. His hood had been pulled up, but while the woman screamed and cried in pain, he lowered it as he pressed a booted-foot against her ribcage, and with a forward motion, he pushed her to roll over onto her back and break out of the fetal position she’d been cradling in.

Nines looked down at her, finally taking some time to study her for the first time. She was a tiny thing; all bones and almost skeletal while being shorter than their captor…and this monster wanted to prey on _her_?

Nines glared at the man as he yanked at his elbows, eager and desperate to get his attention, “Leave her be!!” he was horrified at how guttural and deep his own voice sounded. It seemed to silence and force his keeper to freeze in motion, simply holding the knife before the woman, but doing nothing else.

It wasn’t a moment’s worth of relief, however, for the man seemed to remember the words he’d uttered to Nines hours ago that very same day…

He turned and smiled at Nines with all his teeth showing, practically, resembling a wild, feral, rabid animal as he outstretched the knife in an ‘offering’ to Nines, “You do it,” he smiled brightly as his eyes twinkled in the late-afternoon light, “after all, this counts as your ‘on-the-job-training’…”

Nines didn’t want to be reminded of that, but his captor desired for nothing else except that cold, grim fact. He roughly grabbed Nines’ hand in his own, stretching out his fingers as he opened his palm forcefully.

“What’re you-”

“Shhh,” his captor cooed down at him as he gently rubbed the blade of the knife over his palm a few times in a seductive motion.

The woman wailed and whimpered more, the silence frightening her more than their captor threatening her or yelling at her. She wriggled a little as she looked around beneath the blindfold over her eyes.

“What’s going on?!?” her voice quivered and broke a few times while her anxiety increased, and she began moaning in pain and stammering, “p-please let me go!! PLEEAAAASSEEE!”

Her cries only rewarded her with another swift kick to the ribs, and Nines had to look away and wince as he turned away from the abusive sights.

When had he turned into such a coward?! Here was an innocent, defenseless woman unable to protect herself, and he was a sworn protector of the law and public, not willing to help her…he was as bad as the monster kicking and abusing her…

The knife was placed in his palm completely now, weighing next-to-nothing. It was odd how such a small thing could take away a human life, effectively wiping away years of existence and memories…

Their keeper grinned like a Wild-man as he closed Nines’ fingers to hold the knife tightly. He pushed Nines’ hand close to his chest as he spun him around by placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Look at her,” he motioned and gestured with a head shake at the Asian woman wriggling on the ground as she tried taking her blindfold off. When she tried it, their captor merely slapped her hands away.

He stood back against Nines, draping an arm over his shoulder as he peered down at the injured female, “Fuckin’ pathetic, eh Plastic?”

It wasn’t, and Nines didn’t find anything about it amusing, a form of pleasure, enjoyment, or a good sense of passing the time. But he couldn’t say any of these to their captor as he simply stared down at the knife in his own hands.

The situation was real. Regardless of what he was thinking of and feeling inside, this situation was real. Nothing could detract from that, and Nines realized this woman barely had time left before something horrible happened to her. Time was of the essence, and they didn’t have much of it.

Nines sensed their captor getting bored already as he sighed and whistled, “Hey, Plastic! I’m talkin’ to you!”

Nines knew he was, but he didn’t care to listen or hear him out. This man was going to commit the most horrible crime, and he was encouraging him to do it as well and take a part in such a sick, degrading, evil thing…

He had to use the knife to kill him, and then set the woman free as they both made their escape! He was now justified! He had seen this man capture and hold this woman captive as well! All he had to do was bury the knife's blade deep within his eyes or his neck, and they would be free!

But was he willing to become a killer? Someone as horrible and cruel as this man?

...

No.

Not. At. All.

Nines turned and flung the knife as hard and as far as he could. It sailed past the man’s ears and smashed against a wall before clattering down roughly and loudly to the old, wooden floors. His captor simply turned and raised a questioning eyebrow at it before he glanced back at Nines.

“Excuse me?” his voice was low and cold as his eyes turned cruel and dark. He practically sneered at Nines for even daring to stand as tall as he did before him, glaring down in equal amounts of anger and rage at him.

Nines shook his head, “No, I won’t do it.”

It seemed as if the woman had been listening in, and she gasped and cried out in relief as she stretched out a hand towards Nines’ legs, “You h-have to g-get me out of here!!”

They both ignored her cries and begging, currently staring madly into each other’s eyes in silence as time stretched on.

“Please…”

He glared at Nines, “Last chance, Plastic-Prick,” he spun around on his heels, heading towards the knife.

Nines knew it was all going to be over within a few short minutes. He had to act: QUICKLY. Those alarm bells went off in his head as his keeper’s hands held the knife once again, and he was making his way over towards Nines.

Nines stared down at the injured woman. She deserved a chance at life. She had done nothing wrong. She was innocent.

His captor flashed the knife in the light, and Nines began panicking, really.

How was it that this monster was choosing these victims?! Why was he doing this?! He didn’t know this woman, otherwise she would have definitely reacted more to his voice, his body smell…something would have given his true identity away, but it didn’t! There wasn’t a single clue left…

The knife rubbed against his cheekbone, and he moved his eyeballs down to the right as he saw the tip of the sharp blade kissing his cheek.

“Plastic…” his captor whispered that word in a few hushed, childish-sing-song-tones as he snickered, “you’re not backin’ out on me, are you?”

Nines didn’t understand the question due to the strange vernacular, but he didn’t move when he felt the woman clawing and wrapping a hand around one of his ankles. Her little, weak fingers pulled down hard on the hem of his dark dress pants as she wheezed and coughed, “Please…”

Nines didn’t stir, and the knife pressed harder against his cheekbone. It was definitely cutting some skin now, but he didn’t care at all.

“Plastic…”

He didn’t care, he wasn’t ever going to do what this man asked, and he would rather impale himself right now on the tip of the knife than do anything else.

Empathy and sympathy seized him then, and he turned his head over to face his keeper as the knife tip sliced and cut easily through more of his cheek. While he didn't want to treat violence with more violence, he was certain of one thing: this man was  _still_ a human being. He may have tried acting cold, frigid, but he still had a heart. Nines had to push through the harsh exterior and get through to this man. He would have to appeal to his heart and feelings, and Nines was sure this man had at least  _some_ feelings left...

“Please,” Nines begged as he stared into the blue depths of his keeper’s eyes, “let her go, she’s done nothing wrong!”

His captor threw him a dark glare, “You picked her…”

“Let her go,” Nines pleaded again, his expression real and genuine as his eyes widened for mercy from his captor, “she hasn’t seen your face, please let her live…”

His captor didn’t answer immediately, and the room went dead silent. Heavy, labored breaths came from the woman for some time, and she groaned and shook violently in panic when she realized their captor wasn’t speaking.

“PLEASE!!!”

It seemed as if he was really considering it…

Something in the man’s eyes changed, slowly. Nines had almost missed it at first, but upon closer inspection, he saw it there, plain and clear as day:

Emotion.

His captor’s pupils were small, a direct contrast to the wide-eyed-dilation they’d normally been in when he was torturing Nines and finding enjoyment and pleasure in it. He seemed…frightened and worried, now.

His eyelids opened, and his jaw fell as he lowered the knife slowly. Was he realizing something? Was he waking up to the horrors of the nightmare he’d created for them all?

Nines wasn’t sure, but he sensed the man becoming ‘aware’ of something. He looked back and forth between Nines and the captured, bound lady, and he sighed as he lowered and almost dropped the knife.

“I should…” he looked down at their feet as he sighed, “I should let her go?”

Nines felt something inside him cheering and he knew there was a chance he’d practically saved this woman’s life.

She too picked up on the shift and dynamic change in the tone of her environment, and she cried loudly, “Yes! Yes please!!”

Nines nodded while she wriggled on the floor, “Please let her go,” he bent down and gently held onto her non-broken hand, and she hooked her fingernails into Nines’ skin as she wrapped their fingers together tightly and practically climbed up the android’s body to get up.

“We can set her free together at a location very far away, and I promise she won’t ever find us,” Nines explained slowly as he wrapped a hand around the woman’s back and gently helped her straighten herself out as she winced and sobbed against his chest.

Their keeper stared in remorse down at the floor, still, his shoulders caving in slightly as he nodded.

“You can keep me here,” Nines spoke softly, trying not to make either of them panic and react badly, “I will stay with you, I promise, but you have to let her go!”

She whimpered softly as she beat against his chest lightly with a clenched fist, “I want t-to see my kids!”

“Please…”

The word was breathed from Nines’ lips like a soft, gentle prayer, and he hoped his captor would understand it and listen for once. He just wished, hoped, and prayed for this to happen more than he’d wanted anything else, and he’d meant his promise to his captor sincerely if it meant this woman would be able to walk free with her life in her hands.

Nines waited patiently for their captor to say or do something, and it seemed as if the man had simply frozen. He wasn’t moving, speaking, blinking, or breathing as he simply stared down at the floorboards at their feet.

Suddenly, before Nines had the chance to repeat his statement, he turned his head up and looked at Nines with sad eyes.

“Alright.”

Nines let out a relieved breath. The man was telling the truth, and his arm and fingers had gone slack around the knife. He was no longer posing a threat or doing anything that would suggest he was going to attack.

They were safe! She was finally safe!

The woman cried, and her sobs hit Nines’ ears like a hammer as he wrapped his hands tighter around her, “It’s alright,” he soothed her and comforted her as he gently turned her towards the door of the room, “we’re going home…”

He felt a hand at his shoulder, and he looked over at his captor. The man gave him a sad smile, his eyes red and teary as he motioned over to the woman, “I’ll help you,” he extended a hand, ready and eager to wrap it around her waist as well, “give her to me.”

Nines heard the woman emit a soft cry of pain when she tried hopping on one leg, but he knew she could use the extra help as her heart beat wildly against his ribcage when she pressed her body tightly and closely to his own.

He simply nodded at his keeper, “Okay,” he gently extended her injured hand, careful to avoid the broken and twisted part while she cradled it tightly to her own chest.

“Wait-”

“Shhh,” the captor cooed softly as he wrapped a hand around her shoulder and then her waist, cradling her carefully, “I’m letting you go, I promise.” He tossed Nines a small smile as he turned her towards the exit.

“Let’s go.”

“Please!” she cried and shook her head as she winced in pain, “It hurts to walk!”

“It’s alright, we got you!” Nines supported her back by placing a hand against her lower half, and she leaned the rest of her weight on their keeper as she motioned up with a finger at the blindfold, “I want to see my kids!”

They helped her move a step closer towards the door as their keeper smiled, “You’ll see them soon, don’t worry.”

She outstretched a shaky hand, “How much closer are we to the door? Please tell me!”

“Shhh…”

Before Nines could have given her a better answer, he heard the ‘schink’ of the knife blade before he saw his captor’s hands and fingers weave their way around the handle.

In one quick motion, he stood behind her while still keeping one hand wrapped around her waist. She turned her head to the side, and before she could ask what was happening, their captor sliced through the soft tissue of her neck from left-to-right.

She emitted one gasp, and then her throat was slit. A thin, crimson-colored waterfall spurted forth from her neck as her jaw dropped wide open. The blood began pooling and draining down her neck, staining her clothing and hair.

Nines stepped away as he tried turning her over to place a hand over the wound.

“NOO!!!” he quickly pressed both his hands against the wound, desperately trying to gather up the blood and place it back inside her body, but also attempting to put pressure on the wound.

She fell against Nines, sending them both crashing to the floor as he pressed his hands down onto her throat while tearing the blindfold off her. She had large dark brown eyes that were wide open as she gasped and choked while pressing her non-injured hand over Nines’.

She made eye contact with him while she shook, and then her arms and grip on Nines’ hands slowly began loosening up.

As Nines shook her, desperately trying to keep her awake and conscious, their captor walked towards them, coolly peering down at them while he wiped away the blood with a white cloth he’d pulled out of his jean pocket.

He snickered and held a smug expression on his face, “I’ve always considered death to be a release; not a punishment.”

She’d grown cold, pale, and lifeless within a few more seconds before her hands fell limply to the floor with a dull ‘thud’. The blood still poured all over Nines, soaking his dark clothing, and making it stick to his body tightly.

The stench of the copper, metallic blood was all over the air within another minute while Nines gently tapped the woman’s cheek and shook her body in his arms.

“PLEASE!!!!”

No amount of begging or pleading would actually amount to anything, and he sadly knew it. Still, the parts of him that were human beckoned him to do this, and he went through the motions as his captor simply stood with a tilted head as his eyes coldly assessed the scene.

Nines raised one blood-covered hand to his eyes and screamed out in fright, “CALL AN AMBULANCE! PLEASE!” His LED light matched the color staining his hands and the floors beneath.

He didn’t have the smallest idea why he was begging this creature who’d shown he was capable of murdering a mother without the slightest bit of hesitation, but he begged as he wailed and cried just as the woman once had.

The man slowly smiled as he rubbed his hands together while smirking down at Nines, “I’m so proud of you, babe,” he chuckled as he offered Nines a wink, “that act you pulled just then to get her to lower her guard? Amazing.”

Nines wasn’t paying attention as he rocked the lifeless body back and forth in his arms, “Please!!!”

“So fuckin’ cute,” his captor crossed his arms over his chest as he grinned like a Cheshire Cat, “even now, the show you’re puttin’ on for me?” he bent down and whispered in Nines’ ear: “in fact, it’s kinda turnin’ me on, to tell you the truth…” a hot, pink tongue licked his ear and cheek sensually, as if to prove that point.

Nines closed his eyes and wished the darkness he saw then behind his eyelids would envelope and encase his whole body in it, taking him away from this horrific scene.

He wished he could be as far away from this monster as possible, and he wished that this woman could’ve gone back to her children and lived happily with them.

But knew that if he opened his eyes, reality would be telling and presenting him with something completely different, and he didn’t want to hear or see any of it.

He was happy in the darkness, for once in his entire creation.

He looked forward to it more than the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gavin, you're one big bag of dicks 😠😠😡


	8. The Simplest Pleasures in Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: DUBIOUS CONSENT*  
> Gavin doesn't exactly 'rape' Nines, but...oh just read it yourself -_-

 

Nines was thrown against the rough, hard wood of a plain white door once his keeper dragged him violently to his feet. They’d ascended a dirty, old, dark staircase that was made up of no more than thirteen steps before his keeper had shoved him roughly inside a dingy, unsanitary bathroom.

Nines stumbled in as he gazed around the bathroom, still covered in the slaughtered woman’s blood. His clothing was drenched in the blood, slowly drying, and it took him a moment to realize that some of it was on his captor’s clothing and hands as well.

It had been such an evil, cruel, vicious deed. He’d been something of a ‘participant’, even though he hadn’t contributed at all to killing her. His captor wouldn’t let the topic go, constantly bragging about it and parading it around his head as he pushed back a yellow shower curtain a few feet away.

The bathroom was tiny, and it smelled of foul odors Nines wasn’t able to recognize or trace. He just knew it made him sick to breathe in the foul smells, so he held his breath as he watched his captor grabbing a small red bucket inside the shower stall. He filled it quickly with water, splashing it over the shower walls as he ‘cleaned’ some of the mold off it and down the drain…

Nines was shocked more brown water hadn’t poured out of this facet like in the kitchen, but it hadn’t, nevertheless. His captor flung the bucket over his shoulder when he was done with it, and it sailed through the air as it connected loudly and violently with one of the green-tiled walls. It chipped off the edge of the square tile, and Nines glared at the back of his keeper as he ‘washed’ the rest of the shower before he adjusted the shower facet to ‘warm’ temperatures.

He nodded over at the shower with the shake of his head, “Come on.”

Then, as Nines watched in horror, his keeper completely stripped off all articles of his clothing. He hurriedly pushed down the bloodied, dirtied garments, leaving them in a small bundle as he stepped away from them and pushed down his black underwear still hugging his hips.

Nines spun around then, holding his hands against his eyes as he hissed, “What’re you doing?!”

“Gettin’ ready for a shower, what does it look like, Plastic?” his captor hissed over at him as he finally took off his underwear and took a step towards Nines.

“Take off your clothes.”

Nines felt himself jump slightly at the order ground out at him, “NO!”

He heard footsteps approach him with determination, and Nines was spun around as his captor grabbed his own hands over his eyes.

“Let go.”

Nines struggled, holding his hands firmly over his eyes, “NO! I CAN’T!”

“I can,” with that, his captor yanked his hands down, and as Nines met his eyes briefly, he noticed that the man was taking off his clothing for him…

“NOOO!”

One-by-one, his clothes were gone, and he was now standing as naked, just as the shorter man before him was. His captor snickered and held out two outstretched arms, “Relax,” he snickered as he looked down between Nines’ legs, “we’re both men!”

That was exactly the problem…

Nines hissed in embarrassment as he pressed himself against a single old bathroom sink, rounding the side of it to hide his length from his captor’s perverted, lewd gaze.

The man had already taken a good peek, however, and his eyes glazed over with a strange emotion as he whistled while raising an eyebrow. He nodded appreciatively at what was between Nines’ legs as he snickered, “Wooow, you’re pretty hung, Plastic!”

Nines gaped as he tried crossing and closing his legs, but this monster was just staring, and it made him frozen, his body and mind finding it a struggle to move, even.

“Gotta say, I’m kinda jealous of ya,” the man winked at him before turning around and placing a hand beneath the showerhead.

“Water’s almost good,” he explained as he turned around and lazily peered over at Nines huddling in a corner, desperately pressed against the old porcelain sink, “this shithole has horrible plumbing, so we gotta wait.”

Nines glared at him, “First you snatch her life away, and now you want to wash her blood off your skin?”

His captor snorted as he ran a hand through his hair and looked at the mirror hanging on the wall above the sink, “Please,” he flexed his muscles and relished in his own reflection staring back at him as he posed for the mirror, “I didn’t snatch shit away, she was just lookin’ for a fuckin’ excuse.”

He was actually justifying a murder…

Nines couldn’t believe it, but that was precisely what he’d done. He’d justified mindlessly murdering a mother just like that, as if he were walking out in the street on any given day…

“You monster…”

The word was hissed, and his keeper stopped flexing in front of the mirror as he chuckled at Nines, “Ouch, babe,” he hissed and winced as if burnt, “why you gotta be so rude?”

“I want to leave!” Nines screamed out this wish, but his captor waved it off as if he were a little fly buzzing around his head.

“LET ME GO!”

“Shut up.”

There was no point in begging, but as Nines tried to, the moment he’d taken a breath to speak, his captor had practically flown across the bathroom, slamming his body down roughly over his. He moved at a crazy, inhuman speed; landing right before Nines as he grabbed his hands and slammed them on the wall above his head. He peered darkly and menacingly in the android’s wide-eyes as he growled: “You. Are. Not. Going. Anywhere.”

The words were spoken slowly, and Nines felt his captor bashing his forehead against his as he spoke each of them. It was a symbol of him trying to ‘hammer’ the point in Nines’ head, no doubt.

Nines hung his head low when he felt his captor grabbing both his wrists and yanking him forwards toward the shower.

“Water should be good, now,” he placed a hand under the spray of it and flung Nines in the shower afterwards. Nines roughly slammed his back against the white-tiled wall, but watched in silence as his captor entered the medium-sized stall once he drew back the curtain.

He whistled an eerie tune as he ducked his head beneath the shower spray, eyes closed as he shook his head back and forth like a dog caught in the rain. The warm water droplets hit Nines in the eyes and face, and he recoiled slightly while the pure white water below at their feet soon took a pink tinge…

Nines looked down and saw the bloodied water swirling and washing away down the drain. The blood was the young woman’s, and they were easily washing and ridding themselves of it. Traces of her DNA and what once made her alive had been in there, and now, it was gone…she was history, only a memory in the past, soon to be forgotten, especially to this evil monster.

How a human being could be so callous and cruel was astounding, but Nines was… _taken_ by the sight of his captor as he brushed off and cleaned off the rest of the blood from his skin. His muscles flexed every time he moved, and he moved with caution and care as he made enough room for Nines to step under the water, as well.

Nines raked his eyes up and down the toned, tanned flesh before him, mapping out inches of muscle, sinew, where the man’s hip bones jut out in the perfect ‘V’ shape as he turned his back towards the showerhead and closed his eyes while he dipped his head back.

He looked like he really was at peace; eyes closed and facial expression completely relaxed and almost… ‘happy’….

“Did you know her name?” Nines ground the question out, forcing himself to tear his eyes away from his captor’s hands as he cupped them beneath the water and poured some of it into his mouth, his lips opening slowly to take in the water as he swished it about in his mouth before spitting it out.

He shrugged nonchalantly, “What the fuck does it matter what her name was?” he smirked sarcastically, “bitch is dead, now.”

Nines didn’t want to be reminded of that fact, but he was when he remembered the screaming, sobbing, the blood…she was gone now, and was going to have to be referred to in the ‘past tense’...he couldn't get used to that, and he nearly broke apart from the thought of it alone.

There had been so much blood...

It was still washing off his own hands as he felt his captor grabbing them and brushing his palms, pouring water all over them as he smiled up at Nines’ eyes. He caressed the skin with a surprisingly soft amount of pressure, almost akin to gentleness…

Nines broke out of his thoughts and glanced down at his captor holding his hands, casually and carefully cleaning them off as more pink water flooded down beneath their feet. Nines shivered as he looked away from it, moving his line of vision up slightly. Unfortunately, his eyeballs landed directly on his captor’s cock…

It just hung there loosely, heavy and thick, but the moment Nines stared at it, it twitched with interest.

The man must’ve seen how Nines was staring at it, and he smirked as he pinched the skin on the back of Nines’ hands, “Fuckin’ slut.”

Nines gasped while shaking his head, “No! I don’t-”

His keeper ignored his protests as he hushed him, “You ever had sex before?”

Nines swallowed, panicking as his LED light turned red. His captor stared at it, but patiently waited for his response as he stood back and gently massaged Nines’s wrists and forearms.

Nines stammered the truth out, “N-no…I haven’t e-ever had…” he couldn’t even finish the word as he closed his eyes and looked down at the floor. Why was he even talking about this?! It was probably just another stupid trap of a game his captor had set out for him, and he’d blindly and foolishly walked into it, as usual.

When was he ever going to learn from his previous mistakes?

He mentally scolded himself while his captor licked his lips, “Never?”

“Never,” Nines whispered, wanting the conversation to be over as he opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling instead.

“Not even with a man?”

This question set off alarm bells in his mind. Nines couldn’t ignore them anymore, and he glared down at his captor, his jaw shaking and quivering as he blinked numerous times. Water got in his eyes and pressed his eyelids and eyelashes down, but he shook his head, “Not w-with a man or a woman…”

His captor released his hands as he ran his own through his hair, “Fuckin’ sucks,” he massaged his temples as he hummed while looking at Nines’ chest and abdomen, “sex is fuckin’ amazin’…”

Nines shook violently, “I’m sure it is…”

“Yes…” the man turned to a little shelf by the showerhead and grabbed a bottle of body wash as he popped the cap open. He squeezed the bottle as he leaned his nose over the opening and took a deep whiff, “Mmm.”

Nines glanced down to find the bottle of body wash beneath his nose, now.

“Smells good, right?”

Nines nodded as he shoved the bottle away, “It does.”

His captor nodded as he set the bottle back down, “So what do you do if you get…you know,” he laughed as he looked down at Nines’ cock.

Nines really wished he would stop doing that, and he held a hand over his own length shyly.

“Oh no you fuckin’ don’t,” his keeper slapped his hand away from shielding his heated flesh, and he growled when Nines tried placing his hand back on it once more.

“I said leave it.”

Nines whimpered, feeling his body shaking as the water raining down upon them suddenly seemed so strong and loud…

“Please…”

His captor grinned viciously, “You must get horny, right?”

Nines didn’t answer.

“I once picked up a Traci shortly before the Eden Club shut down,” the man explained as he leaned back and looked down at Nines’ cock, as if relaying this story to it, rather than to Nines, “and I wanted to fuck her, but she was an android, and it’s not my thing,” he snickered, “so I just forcefully put the bitch in ‘shut down’.”

Nines gasped as he glared up. Yet again, this creature had confessed to another murder, and he’d done it so coldly and callously.

“How can you speak of taking lives like that??!” Nines screamed as he pressed himself against the other end of the shower stall, clearly desiring to be as far away from this man as possible.

His captor sighed, “Like what?”

“You don’t care at all!!” Nines spat out in disgust as he stared away from the man’s penetrating eyes.

He rolled them, “Oh shut up, Plastic,” he turned his eyes down to his cock once more, practically sighing in pleasure and want, “it’s easy for me; just like walking to a drugstore…”

Nines had enough of his staring, and he reached out a hand and shoved him hard in the chest, “Stop staring at me like that!”

His captor shrugged as he rubbed his stubbly chin, “What can I say? I like starin’ at beautiful things…”

Nines felt like he was going to vomit. This _thing_ thought he was beautiful?! No way…this was definitely another mind game and a trap. Nines wasn’t going to fall into it, and he shook his head as he glared seriously at the man.

“No.”

The man looked seriously and dangerously at him, “You callin’ me a fuckin’ liar?”

“I didn’t say that…”

The deep growl came like thunder booming across the sky, “Then what the fuck are you sayin’?!”

He dropped his head low as he shook in fear, “Please don’t…”

He heard silence for a long time before he saw and heard his captor shifting a little closer to him. Their bodies nearly touched, but he was still advancing slowly as he gazed intently into Nines’ eyes.

“I’ve never fucked a guy before,” his captor whispered sensually, hands tracing down Nines’ cheeks and down to his lips, tracing with a wet fingertip the outline of the pink lips before he sighed, “but I’m willin’ to make an exception because you’re so damn fuckin’ gorgeous…”

The severity of the situation was slowly starting to hit him, but Nines still hoped this was a joke or a game as his eyes widened and he tried backing away. “No…”

“You don’t wanna be a virgin forever, do you?” his captor snickered and chuckled, still rubbing Nines’ lower lip, and when the android gasped, he shoved the tip of his finger barely between his teeth.

“You seem frustrated, Plastic,” his eyes never left Nines’ lips, “let me help you with it…”

“No…” Nines backed away, but the cold, hard feeling of the tiles of the wall smashed against the back of his head. He had no more room to go anywhere, and he felt his captor’s hands sliding up around his shoulders and neck…

“Shhh, calm down, baby,” his captor leaned in, standing slightly on his toes as he pressed their lips together.

Nines whimpered when he felt the man’s tongue invading his mouth, and his hands slid down to his hips, gripping them slightly before letting them go.

Nines broke the kiss as he tried moving and maneuvering himself to slide forward and out of the man’s tight grip.

“I like you, Plastic,” his captor hissed, grabbing onto both his cheeks tightly, suddenly, kissing his lips soundly before gazing into his eyes seriously, “I know you like me too, you were starin’ at my dick like you wanted to suck it so badly…”

Nines shook his head, his ears and mind buzzing with warnings and alerts that this man was highly aroused. He didn’t need his system letting him know, for his keeper soon pressed their hips together, and he felt the man’s hot erection pressing against the middle of his own…

Wait…

Nines glanced down to see his own cock eagerly as erect as his keeper’s.

He was absolutely ashamed of himself. He’d somehow gotten aroused and shown a reaction to the man’s previous words whispered seductively at him, and he willed his body to get under control as he pushed against the man’s chest.

“Stop it…”

“Do you want me to fuck you?” his whispered words were terribly lewd against Nines’ ears, but the android swallowed as his eyes closed involuntarily.

“Stop it.” He tried sounding confident, but it came out in a weak, faint whisper.

His keeper’s arms flew down to his hips, curling slightly to hover above his erection, “Do you want to fuck me?”

Nines bit down on his tongue, “Stop it.”

His captor kissed his neck softly for a few seconds before licking a stripe down his throat, “Do you want to ‘fuck’,” he bit the skin there very softly, making Nines tremble as he tried fighting against him, “…or do you want me to make love to you?”

Nines quivered as unintelligible moans and groans escaped through his lips.

“I should be punishing you, considerin’ how you failed the ‘on-the-job’ trainin’…” his captor’s words trailed down his neck as he kissed his way over to one of Nines’ nipples, his hand gently pressed against the tip of Nines’ erection, but not palming it.

Nines felt his hips swaying and jutting forward in a small motion, making full contact with the hand there.

“Please…”

What was he begging for?! Why was he doing this?! Why was he reacting this way to this disgusting creature’s touches?! What was wrong with him?!?!

He had to be broken or experiencing some error, he thought, and he tried ignoring the sexually charged and arousing noises the sucking and popping of the man’s lips and tongue made against his chest and nipples while he took his time kissing and sucking the skin there.

Nines was frozen, rooted to the spot, but he allowed his keeper to get away with gently stroking his erection a few times.

He groaned as his captor firmly stroked him up-and-down a few times, “How does that feel, baby?” he whispered against Nines’ cheeks as he stole another quick kiss from his lips.

“Don’t…”

He was spun around, his hands pushed up gently to press against the glass of the standing shower stall. Nines felt the contrast between the warm water and the cold shower glass door, and he hissed out in anticipation he didn’t know he was feeling.

What was he anticipating?!

He threw his head back and glared at his captor through half-lidded eyes, “Don’t…”

His captor chuckled as he turned and grabbed the body wash bottle from the shelf, “You don’t sound like you really mean it, babe.”

Nines heard and saw him squeeze out a generous amount of it, coating a finger in it as he rubbed Nines’ hip with his free hand.

Nines shook his head as he turned and felt his captor spreading his legs slightly, “Please don’t…” he whimpered the words out, but they came out like a moan, instead.

His captor froze right before he was in the process of placing his hands between Nines’ center, right between Nines’ cheeks. He glanced up at Nines, shaking water that was hanging from the tips of his hair, causing the dark strands to press down over his face and forehead, “You’ll feel so good in a minute, babe,” he pushed his hair back with his free hand, “I promise.”

Nines glanced back down at his feet, looking down at a particular angle to see his captor’s feet shoulder-width-apart as he stood directly behind him.

“No…” it was all coming out like a lustful moan, and Nines hated himself.

“Hush…”

He felt the tip of the man’s finger tracing his hole, and he was lost. The massaging sensations were both disgusting, and captivating. Nines had never experimented with anything like this before, but he wasn’t ignorant to what sex was, and how it was done in heterosexual and homosexual relationships.

He let the man’s hands wander and explore as his free hand fisted his erection, pumping him in time with the way his digit was moving inside him. In time, a second finger joined the first, and Nines felt himself opening up and stretching.

When a third finger was inserted, he really began feeling the pooling bits of pleasure seeping from his stomach down to his toes. He curled them as he threw his head back to meet the teeth of his captor sinking into his shoulder and neck. He knew he was making strange, sexual noises, but he didn’t care as he was pumped from both ends.

He was curious about where else this pleasurable feeling was going to take him, but every so often, a part of him tried fighting back. He was still there, somewhere; still conscious, and he didn’t want to be taken advantage of.

“Don’t…don’t…don’t…” he moaned the words out loud every time he was pumped, and the man’s fingers were soon gone.

He felt relief before he heard more body wash squirted out from the bottle and over the man’s hands…

Nines bit down on his lower lip when he heard salacious ‘slicking’ noises, but he didn’t dare peek back over his shoulder to see what was going on. Something within him warned him it would be his own undoing, as his curiosity had landed him in enough trouble to begin with.

He obeyed his system for once, breathing heavily as he tried ignoring the hand working his cock. Perhaps it was time to break out of this lust-induced-haze and make an escape!

But before Nines could work out how to do that, a movement shifted behind him, and then, something slammed into him.

He felt a tearing sensation, and he growled and screamed in pain as he punched the glass. It surprisingly didn’t break or crack, but he clawed at it viciously and uncontrollably next when he felt a strange pressure increasing inside his body at full force.

It wasn’t the man’s fingers this time, and Nines felt his mind and thirium pump regulator reeling and exploding when he felt his captor’s hips gently moving back and forth against his back and ass. Every time the firm, strong hipbones gently touched him, he bit back a round of moans. The moans soon escaped from his mouth, however, and they shook the entire bathroom while his captor placed a hand over his shoulder to steady them both against the shower door.

Nines didn’t feel much pain as the man slid deeper and deeper inside him, and true to his word, he’d ‘made love’ to Nines, and had been absolutely careful and gentle with him…

Kisses and small, playful licks and nibbles were bestowed upon his shoulders, his back, his neck, his earlobes and ears. Nines didn’t know what to do with the mounting pleasure all around, and his hips began imitating the man’s movements every time his hand flew up and down and around his cock, gently tugging and twisting at the tip of it.

“Don’t…don’t…” he had no idea why he was begging for the man to stop when they were both equally moaning hissing and sighing in pleasure. He was abhorred and repulsed by the fact that he was grunting and sighing in deep pleasure that was brought to him by the hands of this foul, vile creature, but it was what was currently happening to him.

The sounds of their moans and panting echoed in the bathroom and shower, and Nines soon felt his captor driving forward deeper and deeper inside him as he sucked at his earlobe while teasing his aching cock. Nines reacted in ways he never would have, had he been given more time to properly think things through.

He was torn between feeling ashamed and disgusted with himself for not having more control and composure, but he didn’t want to deny the immense amount of pleasure and rapture he was drowning in, either.

All his senses were heightened, and his pleas of ‘no’ and ‘don’t’ were murmured out in time with the steady thrusting of his captor as he kissed Nines’ cheeks while toying with his erection until Nines caved in and swayed slightly.

The android’s knees and legs shook violently, and he dropped one of his hands down to rest over his keeper’s as it fondled him quickly. He could barely trace and keep up with its motions, but he shook and screamed out his release as the man buried inside his body quickened his pace slightly.

None of it hurt Nines, much to his shock, and he threw his head back and bit down hard on his tongue, not wanting to be embarrassed any longer as he wailed and cried out during what felt like something inside him between his legs exploding into multiple bursts. They lasted a few seconds each, shooting off like little electrical bolts in his brain as he went numb slowly.

He sank against his captor’s chest, feeling a throbbing sensation still sliding in and out of him as his body shook and he let go of the last bits of his control.

It would be any minute now before he was going to explode for sure, and he was soon anticipating and waiting for that moment when the feelings of exploding from internally would become a reality. He opened his eyes and gazed into the foggy, soaked glass door of the shower, and he swiped a hand across it to clear off the fog and dew.

As he did so, he revealed the sights of his own face contorted and mixed in-between an expression that seemed to show satisfaction and pleasure, but also remorse, guilt, and suffering…

He didn’t know how to read it, and he glanced behind at his captor. The man had hung his head low as he stared down between their bodies where they were connected, moving at a quick pace as the rhythm of his thrusts matched what Nines was whimpering and whispering as he panted against the glass and soon fogged it up once more.

It suddenly occurred to him what he was saying and chanting out like it was a holy prayer…

“Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop…”

He could hardly believe it, and it didn’t matter if his mind wanted to twist it and change it so that his ears weren’t hearing the words he was uttering. They were indeed exactly what he was muttering and hissing out, and his eyes soon fell shut again as his captor threw his head back and sighed in pleasure.

“I won’t stop, baby,” he cooed and promised as he pressed a soft kiss to the back of the android’s neck while he still moved inside him rapidly, “don’t worry…”

Nines wanted him to keep his promise, but he also wanted to beg the man to cease and leave him alone. He wanted to run out of the shower and find the deepest, darkest pit or grave in the world, and just bury himself in it and throw the dirt over his head. He never wanted to be seen or heard from again; not after what was happening now.

There was no way he was going to be able to show his face to anyone, and Nines felt himself sobbing as his body reacted to the last bits of motions from the man’s expert hand, finally. His body knew what to do, and his cock twitched one final time before something really did explode.

It felt like Nines had been broken before he came apart at the seams, and he almost expected to see bits and pieces of himself flying in all sorts of odd directions as he bit down hard on his tongue and let out a deep, guttural moan. It was as if all the parts that made him alive were lost and broken in the shower they were in, and soon, Nines felt his backside and ass practically burning with delight when his captor gently swatted it with an open palm.

“Fuuuucck, babe…” he drove himself deeper inside Nines, practically slamming and shoving the android right into the glass of the shower door as he felt his cock practically being sucked in by the tightness he was burying himself into. The way the android’s hole pulled on his cock was treacherous and sensational, and he soon came with a deep cry of his own as he rubbed the android’s hips and sides while he bit down hard on one of his shoulders.

They gasped and shuddered against each other, Nines slowly coming out of his ‘high’ as he stared down at his feet. His captor’s powerful legs were pressed tightly against his own and he grumbled deeply within his throat, the vibrations of it moving down to his chest and rocking Nines’ back when he pressed himself roughly into the android.

Nines couldn’t move as his captor trapped and wedged him between his own body and the glass door of the shower, and all he could do was try to avoid hearing the ‘squeaks’ his wet skin made against the glass whenever the man thrust harder and harder against him, slowing his pace as he finished, finally.

He heard the man gasping for breath as if he’d run a mile, and he simply draped both his arms around Nines’ waist as he fell against him, breathing into his back. His warm breaths hit Nines’ skin as the water fell on and slid between their bodies.

Soon, the man’s breathing was soft and quiet, which indicated he was under control again. Nines felt that he was still inside him, but before he could say anything, his keeper gently pulled out of his body. Nines winced when a slight ‘squelching’ sound was made, and he closed his eyes as he clenched his fists at his sides.

What had he done?!

What had he allowed to happen to himself?!

He heard a small ‘thud’, and he chanced a small peek over his shoulder behind him. He saw his captor leaning back against the opposite side of the standing shower, brushing his hair back. He offered Nines a tired, sly grin of complete satisfaction followed by a wink. His cheeks were pink, and he grinned, his teeth white and monstrous.

Nines immediately turned away as his hands flew over his cock slowly to cover it. He didn’t turn around as he heard his keeper snickering and chuckling to himself.

“I could use a cigarette now,” he sighed, “that was one of the best lays I’ve personally had, though I don’t know about you, haha…”

Nines glared down at his feet. He had nothing to say, so he decided that silence was his best friend in such a case.

“You were excellent, babe,” his captor gently pet him on the back a few times, as if he were comforting or cheering up an old friend, “it’s kinda tough to put together that you are- _were_ a fuckin’ virgin!” he corrected himself as he laughed a deep bark of a laugh.

Nines didn’t find any of it amusing, and he remained pressed against the glass door of the shower while his captor cleaned himself off.

They didn’t speak to each other again until they’d exited the shower stall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...the fuck did I just write... (⋟﹏⋞)


	9. The Viper and The Bird

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: IMPLIED SEXUAL ASSAULT/DUBIOUS CONSENT AND MILD DRUG USAGE*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Joy to the world, my depression has returned. While I had some energy left over, I wanted to post another chapter, because it MAY be a LOOOONG time before (if ever) I post again.  
> Going through a lot and don't want to vent a lot on the web, but I wanted to send a warm thank-you to everyone who is reading this fic and enjoying it.  
> I hope I am not disappointing anyone or letting ya'll down, I'm just going through too much at once, and it was all rather unexpected :(

Hank and Connor looked up when the cold breeze of something being dropped on their desk was felt between them both, and a soft ‘whoosh’ noise sounded afterwards. A small folder had been plopped between them, barely missing and grazing past their noses as they sat huddled together in front of Hank’s open laptop.

The cream-colored folder had the photo of a young Asian woman paper-clipped in the top right-hand corner of it, and a few white pages slid out from the folder flaps.

Hank grabbed the photo of the woman while Connor closed his laptop and peeked over at the photograph.

Fowler stood before them both, hands on his hips as he huffed and puffed like he’d been running all morning. His tie was coming loose, and his dress shirt sleeve buttons had been popped open. He looked like a stressed mess as he glared down at the folder Hank passed over to Connor.

“Kim Zet Nguyen,” he announced, eyes looking at the photo carefully, “Vietnamese immigrant, aged 34, mother of two toddlers.”

Hank sighed, “She’s missing.”

Fowler nodded seriously, “Has been for almost three days now,” he placed a hand on his forehead and groaned while rubbing the skin there, “her husband reported her missing, and he’s been visiting the precinct every hour for news on his wife’s return with their kids.”

Hank looked at Connor with empathy and guilt, “Jeffrey-”

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is for me to walk around this place without having two dark, innocent teary eyes staring at me and judging me as if I’ve failed them and their mother?!”

Connor winced, his LED light red as he looked down shamefully at the floor. Hank soon mirrored that gesture, loose bits of his greying hair falling from his tight ponytail.

Fowler’s breath shook as his nostrils flared, “I. Can’t. Take. It. Anymore.”

Neither could Hank or Connor, and they both nodded simultaneously.

“She was last seen leaving work for her lunch break, and she didn’t come back for the rest of her shift.”

Connor looked up slightly, “Do you think she was abducted?”

Both Hank and Fowler looked over at Connor with an expression that shouted: _NO SHIT._

Hank rolled his eyes and shook his head, “Was foul play suspected?”

Fowler groaned, “I’m not sure.”

“Did she have any known enemies?”

“No.”

Hank and Connor exchanged hopeless, confused glances as Hank scratched the back of his neck while still keeping his eyes on the floor. He gave a small shrug, “It makes no sense, she seems like a small ‘housewife’ kinda thing…who would want to hurt her?”

Connor’s LED light went red, “A psychopath.”

Fowler nodded, “Damn right.”

“The Detroit Reaper...” Connor's whispered response didn't go unheard, but Captain Fowler merely straightened his tie as he frowned darkly at the android.

“I don't ever want to hear that bastard's name in this department ever again,” he cracked his knuckles slowly, “not unless his head is mounted on the wall of my fucking office.”

Connor stared down at his knees, whispering to himself only: “I know he did it...he took Nines, too!”

Hank threw his hands in the air, “Well that won’t help us get anywhere!”

“Don’t you think I know that?” Fowler pointed over his shoulder across the bullpen, “I know it, but how can I provide an answer for these kids and their father?!?”

They were all silent as watches ticked softly, and footsteps and whispers quieted down around them in the DPD.

No one seemed to breathe or move as time went on, and Fowler stood glaring down at the bent heads of Hank and Connor. Their eyes were set down on their feet, and absolutely no one else in the entire precinct had an answer to give to Captain Fowler.

Fowler snorted as he waved a hand dismissively at Hank and Connor, “Useless,” he began walking towards his office, “all of you are just damn useless.”

The doors slammed, and two young voices cried out for their mother in the aftershock.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Smoke blew and billowed in his face.

“Hey, Plastic, wanna puff?”

Nines sat brooding on the edge of an old, dusty green sofa after his keeper had wandered inside a bedroom just a few doors away from the bathroom on the disgustingly filthy second floor of the ‘house’ they were in.

The room had a large, old four-poster bed with violet sheets, and when the man sunk his body into them, the bed groaned, and the mattress squeaked while he dried off his hair with a white towel. He flung it in into Nines’ face as the android was studying his new surroundings.

The room had olive green walls that needed a fresh coat of paint badly, and a strange flowery wallpaper was at the top border, torn and burnt in many places. The rest of the room wasn’t in the same shape, however, as a chest was propped at the bottom of the bed, barely peeking out from beneath the sheets, and Nines noticed that the feet of the bed were shaped and carved into dark animal paws, the sharp claws scarping the dark floorboards.

The rest of the decorations seemed decades old, and as Nines dropped the towel onto the side of the old green sofa, he sat down gently on the edge of the seat as he saw torn out faces of people in framed photographs hanging on the walls.

Curiosity gripped him, and he stared at the holes in place of each of their heads as they sat in a garden, the women kneeling before the men, while the men posed behind the women and placed their hands on their shoulders. It was a lovely, warm photograph in terms of color, scenery, and temperature it gave off, but then when Nines focused on the torn-out faces, it gave it all an off-putting, eerie feeling.

Nines stared at the photo while his keeper held out a hand holding a burning joint. The marijuana smell wafted over towards Nines, but he kept his eyes on the photo.

“What's the idea of that photograph?”

His captor looked over at the photo as well once he got an idea of what Nines was referring to. He snickered as he stared at the photo on the wall, “It’s a photo of men and women, sexy.”

More smoke blew over in his eyes, and Nines turned his head away from it as he looked over at his captor moving over to towards him on the edge of the bed, still pushing the joint towards his nose in a silent offer.

Nines glared down at it as if it were a scolding hot iron or weapon being pushed beneath his nose. He pushed it away from his face, “Don’t!”

His captor snorted, pupils slightly dilated as he rolled his eyes and leaned back on the mattress by leaning on his back and elbows, “Suit yourself, baby doll.”

The pet names were really starting to get to Nines, and he showed disdain and distaste for it as his face scrunched up and an expression of disgust formed on it, “Why do you call me these names?” he asked the question softly as he glared down at his captor, eyeing him wearily as he moved back into the center of the bed, eyes slightly pink.

He sighed as he shook his head, chest still bare while he wore dark pajama bottom pants. He scratched his head as he shrugged, “Well it’s what I’m callin’ you…”

Nines tilted his head curiously at him while glaring volumes, “It’s not my name.”

Both of them stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, and his captor’s eyelids widened slightly as he slowly inhaled the smoke emanating from the joint again, “You never did tell me your name,” he let out a puff, “but I also don’t give a shit.”

Nines gasped, “I’m not surprised; you don’t ‘give a shit’ about a greater many things.”

The man nodded and winked, “Well, seein’ as you felt soooo fuckin’ good not even twenty minutes ago,” his eyes traced the shape of Nines’ legs and thighs beneath the fresh jeans the other man had provided him with.

He snickered, and Nines shivered in repulsion, “I guess we should get to know each other a bit, right?”

Nines didn’t agree, but he gave a firm nod of his head, “Who are those people?”

Gavin rolled his eyes, “Likely friends of my grandparents,” he looked over at the photo before taking another drag off the joint, “this used to be their home…”

Nines felt himself panicking. Were those people still around? It was highly unlikely due to any human’s lifespan and age range, especially if this man was age...how was he?

“How old are you?”

Both Nines and his captor hadn’t been expecting the question, and they broke eye contact as their faces grew flushed. Nines damned himself for being so ‘out of control’, and he closed his eyes as he counted to ‘three’ silently in his mind so he could grow calm and collected.

His captor scratched at his face before he exhaled and looked at the joint in his fingers, “I’m gonna be thirty-seven in October.”

Nines looked up at him cautiously, trying to read the signs of whether or not he was lying, but he didn’t appear to be; his heart rate was steady, he wasn’t stressed, and he looked over at Nines eventually with a cold half-smile.

“Guess I’m gettin’ old…huh?”

Nines didn’t respond, but he felt absolutely hopeless. If this man was approaching forty-years-of-age, there was an unlikely chance his grandparents lingered around or visited the home frequently. But what about his parents? Surely they were still alive…

Nines wanted to ask, but he cringed when he looked over at his captor and noticed him lying back on the bed while turning his neck and head to directly face him. He smiled lazily as he stretched himself out on the bed.

He began patting and stroking the empty space on the bed next to him. As a small layer of dust rose into the air, the man’s eyes fell down on the violet-colored sheets before the blue depths met Nines’. The android looked away quickly, causing his keeper to snicker.

He hummed softly and deeply, “Stop playin’ so hard-to-get,” he tapped the bed with one finger, “and get your ass over here on the double, sexy.” It was all followed by a wink as he gave Nines a coy, sly grin.

Nines recoiled slightly as he stretched his neck up and sneered, “You’re going to hurt me again…”

They both knew what he meant exactly, and his captor scowled darkly at him, “Damn, babe,” he scoffed as he glanced up and down at Nines with half-lidded eyes, “you’re really ruining the fuckin’ moment talkin’ like that.”

Nines hissed, “I can’t trust you.”

His captor beckoned him with an index finger, “Just come over here and we can talk about it-”

“No.”

The man sighed, “Don’t make me beg.”

Nines quirked an eyebrow, but kept his distance as he rose from the little sofa, “Who else lives here?”

His keeper frowned, “Just the two of us,” he motioned over with his head, “come on.”

Nines wondered what would happen if he ‘obeyed’ in order to gain information one way or another about the house, the setting, the neighborhood…anything would have helped him. He was unable to reach out to Connor, and he especially had a tough time given how his keeper was always around him, constantly watching him.

Nines knew the man was waiting for him to make one wrong move, and that would be the end of him. He had a very explosive temper from what he witnessed so far, and he was quite unpredictable.

The android was also certain that he’d received some form of damage to his system and bio-components that channeled internal and external communication with other androids without having to interface all the time. He’d initially connected physically with Connor when he first arrived in the DPD, and they didn’t encounter more issues communicating telepathically until now. However, the damage he received from the violent keeper had definitely permanently damaged something; he was absolutely unable to communicate or feel anything, no matter how much and how hard he tried reaching out to the RK800.

All his hopes had been lost as far as being ‘found’ or ‘rescued’ went, but he wasn’t going to give up; he had to get himself out of this mess one way or another.

He stood at the edge of the bed, taking his time before he pressed a hand down on the mattress. His captor threw his head back and glared at him while taking another drag from the joint.

His eyes were exhausted, “Really Plastic?” he tossed the joint aside to the floors beneath once he was done with it.

Nines gaped at him as he sat up a little, feeling disturbed and perplexed when he saw the light body hair around the man’s lower abdomen, even though his chest was smooth.

“Really? I ain’t gonna bite you…” his eyes again raked sensually and sexually up and down Nines’ body, “unless you want me to…”

Nines bit back an insult once he recalled their encounter in the standing shower. He didn’t need to be reminded and he turned his head away as he pressed a knee against the edge of the bed slowly. His captor stared at it for a moment before looking directly across the room at something.

This was a bit of a ‘reprieve’ compared to his looming, stalking, possessive and menacing demeanor, and it helped Nines calm down just slightly. He dipped his body into the mattress, feeling it sinking heavily beneath his strong weight as he simply sat with his back towards his captor.

Before Nines could fold his hands in his lap, he was yanked back by his shirt collar, and he fell against the bed. He barely had time to think, flailing a little on his back, but then he felt a powerful grip on both sides of his body. He looked up to see his captor straddling him, pressing their legs straight down over the mattress as he pushed back the loose strand of Nines’ hair that often hung down and away from the rest of his neatly-combed crop of hair on his skull.

Nines struggled and recoiled from the touch, trying to slap the man’s disgusting hands away, but he ground their hips together roughly as he laid his body flatly against Nines’.

The bed groaned and squeaked, and Nines felt himself growing heated and embarrassed as his captor looked deeply into his eyes and gently pet his head. He flicked the tip of Nines’ nose playfully as he giggled lightly.

Apparently, the reaction Nines gave him was amusing, somehow, and he wrapped a few fingers around the android’s nose and gently tugged at it.

“Got your nose.”

Nines offered him the darkest glare he could muster up.

His captor snorted as he let out rounds of giggles and snickering at his own silliness and childishness. When he saw that Nines wasn’t joining him in laughter, he glared at him and lightly slapped his cheek.

“Hey,” he glared down at Nines seriously, “Plastic, don’t be like that…”

“Like what.” Nines didn’t even make it sound like a question, tired and frustrated with the acting his keeper was putting on lately.

Hands grabbed his cheeks roughly, and a hot, wet tongue slid past his lips and dove inside his mouth. His captor’s tongue slithered and flickered against his own, and before Nines could bite on it hard, he withdrew it from his mouth as he gently slid the android’s long legs apart. He nestled between them as he kissed Nines’ neck.

Nines whimpered once he felt the man’s heated erection pressing against his hip, but before he could push the man off his chest, his arms and wrists were held down roughly, and his jeans were already being pulled off and down his legs…

Nines struggled, but his captor whispered at him: “Why fight me? Especially after how you were actin’ like you wanted me just as much as I wanted you before…”

“Please stop this…” Nines whispered and bit down on his lower lip as he felt his clothes coming off slowly, each article that fell off representing bits of his dignity and self-respect.

“Shhh,” his captor was tugging off his own pants with a hand as he held both of Nines’ tightly in his one of his own, “how do you expect me to control myself when you’re gaspin’ and moanin’ at me like some wanton whore?”

He was completely open and naked again. He could only watch as his keeper threw his clothes down to the floor in one hurried motion.

Within moments, his own sense of pride and dignity too was all gone, just like the rest of his clothes that shielded and protected him…

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor stared at Hank’s laptop screen intently, going over the ‘Nguyen’ case notes, when he suddenly heard Fowler’s office door opening.

Their superior hung on one side of the door as he pointed rudely at Connor and Hank: “YOU TWO!”

They both leapt up and stared wide-eyed at Captain Fowler, waiting for him to speak. Apparently, half the entire bullpen heard him, too, and the other officers and detectives stared back and forth between Fowler, Hank, and Connor, not sure of what they expected, but they hardly blinked as they stared and studied all three of them.

Fowler pointed again at Hank and Connor, “The husband of the latest victim is growing uneasy, go talk to him, NOW.”

With that ordered out, he turned back inside his office, slammed the door, and buried himself in a mountain of paperwork and other things he had to do.

Hank and Connor exchanged confused looks, and Hank leaned over the divide between their desk as he whispered: “What do we have to do?”

This earned him an eye roll from Connor as his LED light turned yellow, “I’ll go.” He stood up from his desk as he volunteered his time to take a little break, making his way down the halls of the precinct as he walked towards the reception desk and small waiting area.

He heard Hank whispering and muttering something at his back as he walked forward, but he ignored it once he saw the bright sun pouring in through the large windows of the reception area.

Spread out on across four seats were two toddlers and their toys and jackets. They were trying to amuse themselves, as one of them-a young boy-played with the ears of his fluffy, pink rabbit, while his sister tugged at one of her dark pigtails while holding a toy robot in her hand. Their father was standing by the front doors, talking on his phone in Vietnamese animatedly as he swung his arms about and appeared to have been crying. His voice sounded hoarse and worn out, and he stomped about as he kept an eye on his kids on and off.

It was a difficult scene to walk in on, and the little girl’s light brown eyes immediately gazed at Connor as he approached. Gasping lightly, she leapt off her chair, pulling her blue jacket with her as she hid behind it. Her brother grew silent, not cowering or hiding like she had, but he stood still as he placed his rabbit down on the seat next to him while keeping his eyes set on Connor.

Connor smiled at both of them as kindly and warmly as he could, remembering that these were two little innocent children. They were probably very tired, frightened, and while confused, they knew something was definitely ‘off’. They kept looking over at their father, the man still yelling into his phone as he groaned and seemed to cry in fear and frustration.

Connor didn’t want for them to be disturbed by the sight any longer, and he ran a hand along one of the long ears of the boy’s rabbit.

“He looks kinda cool!” he tickled the round belly of the rabbit, and he saw the little girl inch closer to her brother, her dark eyes peering at Connor from the hood of her jacket.

Connor smiled at her and ducked down beneath the rabbit’s midriff. He waited until both toddlers peered up at him before his head shot back up: “Boo!”

They both giggled and smiled, lowering their protective guard as they set their toys and jackets down, approaching Connor as they poked at his LED light and gasped when it blinked.

Connor held out both hands as he pointed up slowly at his LED light, “Watch this!” he closed his eyes and focused for a while, and soon, the phones on the reception desk rang.

The receptionist picked one of them up, and Connor spoke out in a robotic voice: “I hope you’re having a good day, Sally!”

It echoed throughout the precinct, and the toddlers thought it was cool and they gasped as their eyes grew slightly wide. They soon clapped and wrapped their little arms around Connor. They allowed the tall android to gently pick them up, cradling each of them in his arms as he carried them back over towards his desk.

He paused at the reception desk before smiling politely and warmly at the female android working there, “Sally, please tell the father where his children are.”

She smiled back as her phone rang again. The toddlers cooed and giggled when they heard it ringing, and Connor carried them until he was at his desk. He placed the young girl on his lap, and he let the young boy sit on his desk, his little legs swinging up and down through the air as he looked around for something to grab and play with.

Connor sensed this, and he reached over and yanked a donut out of the box sitting on Hank’s desk by his monitor. Hank looked up just in time to see a strawberry-filled donut snatched away, and he gasped as he threw his hands in the air and frowned at Connor.

“Really?!”

Connor offered him an innocent expression, “What?”

Hank was about to say something in an argument, when he saw the little children smiling sweetly at him. They both flashed bright, shiny teeth at him, and Connor soon followed their lead, smiling widely at Hank.

Hank glared at them as he waved them off.

“Hank,” Connor batted his eyelashes sweetly at his partner, “would you kindly get two glasses of milk, please?”

Hank grumbled as he stood up, and as he walked over to the Break Room, Connor yelled out at his back: “And bring the swirly straws!”

Hank turned around and stuck his tongue out at Connor. The toddlers laughed as Connor broke the donut perfectly in half and gave it to the brother and sister.

He cradled the little girl gently while other officers and his colleagues watched and smiled at the cuteness all around.

As the young boy swung his legs, a sad expression grew on his face as he slowly chewed his donut. Connor caught the look and he felt sad immediately as well.

He tilted his head at the child, “What’s wrong, kiddo?”

He knew exactly what was wrong, but he didn’t want to mention it over and over. He had no idea what he would personally do if this had happened to Hank, but he tried not thinking about that dark thought as he fought hard to keep calm and have the same smile set on his face.

The young boy looked down at his donut, “Do you think our mommy is coming home?” he asked the question in a soft, depressed tone, and he traced a shape in the icing of the donut as his sister chewed her half extra slowly and pressed her head against Connor’s chest.

Connor held her closer on instinct in a gesture of comfort as he looked up just in time to see Hank approaching them with two glasses of milk, and green, swirly straws.

“Don’t worry,” Connor whispered to the girl as he played with one of her long pigtails, “we’ll work hard to find your mommy.”

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Nines finally opened his eyes, his body shaking and quivering when his captor pulled out of him again in less than an hour in the span of a day. He sighed, completely satiated as he fell to the side and lay on his back as he stared up at the top of the four-poster bed.

He laughed through his labored breathing before draping a hand across Nines’ chest. It smacked wetly on his skin, both their bodies covered in sweat and semen as Nines fought hard to push out of his mind what had just happened.

He’d been taken advantage of yet again against his will, and this time, he’d cried and begged for more and more…

He’d been even filthier than the previous time, getting on his hands and knees as he displayed his body for his captor to take as he pleased, and the man took him wildly. He’d told Nines that this was ‘fucking’; not ‘making love’, now.

The monster seemed happy that Nines had provided him with both ‘samples’ of such behavior, and he was pleased with the contrast in their exchanges as he told Nines he was ‘beautiful’, ‘sexy’, ‘hot’…

The words spurred Nines on further, and they encouraged him to twist and turn his hips to meet the powerful thrusts his captor delivered to his backside, and soon, they were both sore and aching, but they continued getting lost in time and the sensations their bodies created together. Soon, they were at the mercy of their own impending sexual release, and they sought it in each other…

When it was over, Nines began swimming in the sea of regret once again as he cradled his knees against his chest and lay still. His captor yanked him out of that position, motioning over towards Nines’s left, gesturing over to a small night table by the bed side.

Nines ignored him until he started slapping his chest, demanding attention.

“Baaaabeeeee!!”

Nines tried keeping his composure, but his captor kept repeating it over and over, constantly whining and crying in his ears like an ambulance siren. He willed it not to get under his skin, but sadly, it did…

“Baaaabeeeee!!!!!!!”

Nines flung himself upwards as he glared over at the man, “WHAT!??!” He hadn’t meant to sound so angry and petulant, but it sounded as such nevertheless.

His captor gave him a wide-eyed look as he glanced over at the dark night table with determined eyes, “Cigarettes…now…”

The demand was ignored, and Nines gave him a half shrug, “Not my prob-AH!”

Fingers pinched and then swatted at his right nipple, and he cradled it in pain as he hissed over at his keeper, “What was that for?!”

The man turned and lay on his side as he propped an elbow beneath his chin. His eyes gleamed with mischief as he chuckled, “Lesson one, sexy,” he waited until Nines stopped rubbing his nipple, “when I say I fuckin’ want my cigarettes, you _get_ my fuckin’ cigarettes for me immediately.”

Nines felt sore all over, but he decided he was in no mood to argue. He swung his arms over the side of the bed and yanked open the top drawer of the night table before his captor hissed out: “Bottom one, babe.”

Nines grumbled deep in his throat and switched drawers, quickly fishing out the cigarettes and lighter. He tossed them over to the man, not checking or caring where they landed as he flung them over his shoulder carelessly.

As he went to push closed the top drawer, something gleamed and flashed brightly in the lights directly into his eyes.

He heard the man lighting his cigarette, and then smelled it.

Nines pretended to be arranging the bedsheets as he gazed over at the top drawer of the night table, taking quick peeks and glances at whatever was inside it…

His eyes and mind found that it was a small handgun, and it appeared to be new and not recently fired.

He quickly scanned the weapon, and he found a bullet in the chamber, already set and loaded…

Perfect.

All he had to do was reach over and-

A hand slammed down over the back of his neck, and he was suddenly spun around viciously. Nines felt his arms being yanked and thrown down in the most uncomfortable position against his back.

His keeper’s hand shot down and shoved his face directly into the sheets.

Nines kicked and growled out in pain, his nude, aching body rising up off the bed slightly as he fought and struggled for his life. He wasn’t exactly ‘choking’, but he wasn’t able to see or defend himself in this position either…

He heard an even deeper growl echo in a response to the one he’d emitted moments ago.

The smell of tobacco hit his nose as he turned his head to the side and gasped out in pain as he ceased his struggles slightly.

He felt his captor leaning his weight down on him as he got behind him and simply draped his own naked body over his. He let out another puff of smoke directly into Nines’ eyes. Nines closed them as he panted heavily from the strained position he was tightly held in.

His captor nudged his cheek with the tip of his nose as he flicked cigarette ashes down on Nines’ cheeks and nose next.

“You want that gun? Hmm?” When Nines didn’t respond immediately, he bit Nines’ cheek, hard.

Nines screamed in anger more than pain, feeling a wet, warm sensation running down his cheek. It was no doubt thirium, as the teeth of the wild man had broken his skin.

“Babe,” more puffs of smoke clouded his vision, and Nines chose instead to bury his face against the sheets. It was better than this cancerous form of torture he was forced to endure and suffer.

“…I don’t appreciate bein’ attacked and threatened in my own home…”

The warning was made clear, and alarm bells went off in Nines’ mind once he saw the cigarette being brought down by one of his hands when he turned his head to peer behind him.

He really started struggling and panicking as the cigarette was brought closer and closer to his skin…

“No! PLEASE!!”

He was ignored, and his keeper merely shoved his hips down over him, ramming his body deeper into the mattress. The bed groaned again, and Nines wondered if it was going to break and give way, considering their intense struggling.

The cigarette was only half an inch away from his skin, now, and he stared at it with wide eyes as his fingers clenched tightly into a small ball. He was trying to avoid this, and he was barely able to move his hand away when his captor leaned back and bit a few of his fingers.

Nines screamed as his hand involuntarily opened, and his captor took the opportunity to press the tip of the cigarette directly into Nines’ open palm.

The screams and cries of pain were beyond anything Nines thought were possible for him to emit, but that didn’t alter the reality that he was indeed crying in severe torment and pain. He smelled plastic cooking and rising into the air, and he knew his human layer of skin was damaged and badly burnt through.

If the man didn’t cease and desist, there would be damage made to his android exoskeleton in no time.

“STOP IT!!!!!!” Nines screamed and begged the two words out as his legs kicked up in the air, and after another moment of that, his captor apparently decided he’d had enough.

He removed the cigarette from the android’s hand, and he bent his head down to admire his work.

Nines heard him whistle as he snickered and took a deep breath in, “Wow, you really do stink like plastic when you cook, huh babe?”

Nines felt his head weakly flop back into the bedsheets as he felt his hand throbbing while the pain and damages registered in warning and alert signs all over his mind and system. He was facing a lot of severe damages, but there was little he could do as he lay flat on the bed while his captor finished his cigarette.

“See, I didn’t wanna do that to you babe,” his captor sighed, “believe me, that hurt me way worse than it probably did you…”

Nines highly doubted it, but he remained still and silent, not wanting to engage the man’s wrath and fury a second time. There was no way he was going to fall into the same trap twice.

His captor looked down at his hand and held it in his own, “It’s not that bad.”

Warm lips kissed the center of his palm, dragging over the little circular burn-mark the cigarette had left behind. As Nines tried hard to ignore the horrible feeling of his captor kissing his hand, the man’s warm tongue flickered and licked his hand, next.

Nines repressed a groan of disgust once the tongue raked up and down the mark, and then in a small circle, no doubt tracing over it carefully.

“Hmmm,” the man pulled back as he smacked his lips.

Nines closed his eyes again, feeling a single teardrop falling down from his left eye as it left a trail over his cheek and onto the sheets.

“You taste like trash, babe.”

Nines could only wait until he was absolutely certain the man had left the room before he grabbed the sheets and fell to the floor, clutching at them while sobbing uncontrollably.

He didn’t even get dressed for the rest of the day as he stayed in the filthy bedroom.


	10. The Dahmer Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was inspired by Jeffrey Dahmer's first murder where he took the bones and parts of his first victim and spun them around in a circle deep in the woods behind his family home and threw them about in an attempt to hide the evidence of his first slaying.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: DRUG USE, VIOLENCE, AND GASLIGHTING*
> 
> Song credits go to: Fred Rich and his Orchestra, 'It All Depends On You', 1927  
> Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jCittS7cU8M  
> and the song Gavin was later singing:  
> 'God Only Knows' by the Barbershop Quartet from 'Bioshock Infinite' (COOL FECKING GAME BTW, PLAY IT NOW MY DARLINGS)  
> Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1i8QTOV20Y

Nines didn’t emerge from the bedroom for almost half a day. He simply held himself within the four walls and corners of the old, worn down room. He had nowhere else to go, nothing else to do but sit and wait for this monster’s next move. He suddenly felt like the first time he knew he had come to life when he’d been created by CyberLife…

Someone else had always been there to activate him, guide him, tell him what to do, and dictate to him what his purpose was. And now, he was in a similar situation; simply at the mercy of someone else, ready for them to enter the room and take him to do whatever they pleased.

He’d only received a little bit of a reprieve and freedom after everything he had gone through right up until the point that he had been deviant, and now he was in a similar situation, back to square one again. Perhaps this was going to be the story of his life forever.

He knew however that moping around wasn’t going to get him anywhere anytime soon. He had a fight left in him, even though he’d been shattered, broken, both physically, emotionally, and psychologically.

Perhaps this creature could hurt, torture, or physically maim and destroy him until he was left in small piles and heaps of bio-components. Perhaps he could snatch away his life at the very last minute when he’d grown weary and bored of him finally.

He could do all these things if he really wanted to, but Nines knew that there was one thing his captor would never be able to take away from him:

His freedom and hope.

The man could fight and try as hard as he wanted, but Nines would never give that away to him. The android knew that that was exactly what the monster wanted and desired of him from the very first minute he had kidnapped him. It was what he wanted from all his victims; only then would the beast inside him be satiated and calm.

This wasn’t a complicated creature; he was as destructive and ominous as a tornado. He was ready to sweep and carry away life and beauty in a path of destruction and havoc he’d leave behind in his wake; nothing more, nothing less…

Nines certainly wasn’t looking for trouble or to borrow trouble, and all he did was retreat back to the filthy washroom the minute he had mustered up enough strength and courage to clean himself. He simply got into the shower and scrubbed away at his body until he was certain that all the traces of evidence of his coupling with his keeper had been completely washed down the drain. He also wanted every inch of his skin where the man had touched him to wash down into the shower drain and sewers below.

Once he’d gotten rid of the disgusting feeling of the man’s hands all over his body, he would try to figure out a way to permanently burn and incinerates the memories left behind of his physical and sexual assault and torment. The latter would be more difficult to achieve, but Nines was well known for coming up with effective solutions.

He mostly avoided the horrid man as he exited the bathroom completely dressed in the new clothes he’d set out for himself. It was a direct contrast to the normally dark and grey clothing Nines was normally seen in; he was wearing light blue jeans and a white T-shirt. He wasn’t able to wear shoes or socks on his feet, and he cringed anytime he stepped around the disgustingly filthy floors of the old house.

As he moved about, Nines tried not to imagine what kinds of germs, bacteria, diseases, or traces of human DNA he was picking up on his skin…

He shuddered to even think about it, so he let it escape his mind for the time being as he tried to locate where his keeper was.

As much as Nines despised the man, he didn’t like it or feel completely safe unless he knew and physically saw for his own eyes where the bastard was at all times. Right now, the man was eerily quiet, and that disturbed Nines deeply. He needed to know the bastard’s location no matter what, for a silent creature was a dangerous creature…

Perhaps he was thinking of other ways of tormenting and torturing not only Nines but his future victim…

Nines was more than certain the creature had an insatiable thirst and desire to spill blood. It would only be a matter of time before he strongly felt the lust and yearning for human flesh and blood.

If there was a chance that Nines could prevent another murder from happening, he would do his best to be actively involved this time as opposed to just shrugging off the responsibility and allowing the vile monster to do whatever he wanted and to play the android like a fiddle.

Needless to say, Nines was still not at all over the burning sensation of guilt and misery running through his system whenever he closed his eyes even for a split second and remembered the blood, cries, screams and pain the young Asian woman had suffered at his own hands. He could have done something to prevent that; he could have stopped it, but all he had done was let the monster play and play…

Now wasn’t the time to wallow in misery and guilt however; he had to come up with a clear plan on how he was going to make his captor lower his guards and trust him enough so he could escape and finally bring all of the DPD down on this vile creature’s head…

He had some idea of how he was going to do that as Nines paced throughout the main floor of the strange house. majority of the rooms had been closed, their doors locked and sealed off entirely. he had tried the door knob on a few of them, but he only found them to be locked. he didn't have the key or an inkling as to where he was going to find it…

He didn’t want to give up, however, and he resumed his little personal self-directed tour of the house. He had walked around the dimly lit hallways close to the kitchen when he heard the study ‘tap’ and ‘thuds’ coming from the other side of the white door that was partly left ajar…

He knew the monster was on the other side of the door probably working on a meal preparation…

He didn’t want to venture forward and to confirm his initial suspicions, however. All he could hear as the steady rhythm and beating of what he assumed was either a mallet or a knife pressing down against a cutting board.

Gruesome, bloodied images of severed human parts and several organs lying on the cutting block suddenly flew in his mind. Nines closed his eyes forcefully and shook his head back and forth as he willed himself to remain calm. He had to stay as collected and composed as possible. He didn't need to have a fit on the other side of the door and to get his captor’s attention.

That would do him no good at all…

Soft music was playing within the kitchen, and its lyrics and tone calmed Nines down when he listened to the way the singer was softly being accompanied by an orchestra. It was yet again very old and clearly very outdated music, but strangely, it seemed to be growing on Nines…

He paused as he listened to the lyrics for a little, while simply drowning out the sounds of the chopping and cutting his captor made as he worked steadily within the kitchen.

_I can be happy, I can be sad,_

_I can be good, or I can be bad,_

_It all depends on you…_

_I can be lonely out in a crowd,_

_I can be humble, or I can be proud,_

_It all depends on you…_

Nines was now really starting to feel and think like every bit of lyrics of the song his captor had chosen to play on was directly in some form a message he meant to deliver to the android…

It just had to be, especially given the haunting tone and symbols behind the meaning of the words.

_I can save money or spend it,_

_Go right on living or end it,_

_You're to blame, honey, for what I do…_

_I know that I can be a beggar, or I can be king,_

_I can be almost any old thing,_

_It all depends on you!_

He didn’t want to hear the rest of it, so Nines wandered the rest of the house as he walked towards a small, tiny closet he had missed in the main hallway. It was literally facing the left side of the wall closest to the staircase, and yet, he somehow walked past it…

He cursed himself for being so careless and brainless, but beating himself up for it was not going to do him any good or get him anywhere fast. It was only going to be a matter of time before his captor ran out of meat to chop…

Acting quickly while the orchestra’s music slowly faded into the background of his mind and ears, Nines felt his fingers caressing the small, golden handle of the tiny closet door. It appeared to be a little shoe or broom closet, he figured, but something inside and within his suspicious nature told him that seeing was more than believing and he really needed to explore whatever this little closet held inside it.

As if he’d been stuck in a dream, Nines gently pulled on the handle and found that this door was not locked…

The hinges let out a little ‘squeak’ as the door swung open. Darkness met his eyes for a brief second before the hallway’s lights illuminated what was in the closet. As Nines squinted and focused his vision on the few objects inside it, he suddenly heard screams, cries and many wide-open eyeballs bearing looks of horror and absolute terror flashing in his mind…

He knew exactly what he was looking at the second he it; the shoes, and sweater of the young Asian woman who just recently been murdered. A few of her other undergarments were also lying in little piles on the dusty, dirty floor of the closet.

Nines shook and trembled as he reached a hand inside the closet and ran a finger along her bloodied sweater. She’d once worn this; held her children against it, been seen in it. She’d once been alive and had this clothing on her torso…

It was a horrific thought to think about, but the truth, nonetheless. There was nothing he could do to deny the fact that he was thinking about these things as he turned the sweater over and over a few times with the poke and prod of a finger.

Suddenly, as he turned the sweater around on the floor, Nines heard something rustling and crinkling out of one of the pockets of the bloodied sweater. Whatever it was slid halfway out of the pocket and fell onto the floor.

He tilted his head down to see what it was, and he had to squint before he picked up the little baggie.

There were two little pills inside it, and Nines focused on trying to scan the pills so he could recognize what they were for. His mind buzzed and throbbed deeply, but he was able to conduct a quick scan before his system alerted and told him that he had no energy and stamina left to conduct a more in-depth scan.

He didn’t need more time or energy however, and he knew exactly what these pills now were…

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

His captor had indeed been slicing and chopping up meat once Nines had entered the small kitchen. The horrible monster had spilled plenty of blood all over the apron he had tied to his stomach and abdomen as he continuously brought down the sharp, bloodied knife blade down on the meat and bones…

The butcher knife easily broke through the bone fragments as he divided the meat wherever he saw fit and was once again dumping them into black garbage bags. Nines had somehow gotten used to the sight of it, and he didn't feel troubled or disturbed by it as he simply glared at the man in the middle of his work.

His keeper didn’t seem to appreciate being interrupted, and he looked up as he frowned at Nines darkly while his hands and fingernails had plenty of traces of blood and guts beneath them and sticking to them…

The meat was tenderly being beaten with a mallet, no doubt the source of the ‘thuds’. Exploded veins and flesh stuck to the little barbed edges of it, hanging and swaying lightly in the cold breeze of the room while the fridge hummed deeply.

Nines held the baggie down by his side as his captor merely pointed and index finger over at the same old rickety chair Nines had once been forcefully tied down to and gagged in. He forgot about the memories as he simply took his seat, not wishing to infuriate the man more.

His captor bit down on his lower lip as he looked down at the meat he held in one hand, “The fuck do you want now, babe?”

Nines ignored the rudeness and simply watched as the man got off a stool by the counter with the cutting board resting on top of it. He walked towards the kitchen sink and turned on the water, washing his hands as he opened the old fridge door.

Nines saw him approaching with a water bottle, but it definitely wasn’t water that was within the bottle…

Whatever the liquid or the beverage was that was held by the bottle was rather putrid and disgusting in appearance: It was a mixture of a dark brown and orange color and had some bits of a yellowish tinge of clumps swimming within it. Nines hoped that the keeper didn’t wish for him to drink whatever was in the bottle.

It appeared that he had, however, and he held out the bottle patiently until Nines took it in his free hand. Nines looked down at the bottle and slowly took off the cap as he pressed his nose over the opening and took a small sniff.

It didn’t smell of anything in particular, and he dipped his tongue inside the opening.

Recoiling a little, he tasted something sweet, but also something sour, bitter, and stale. He had no idea what it was, but his captor pressed one finger on the end of the bottle and forcefully tipped it forward so it was pressed against his lips.

“Drink.”

Nines raised an eyebrow, “What is it?”

His captor offered a cold smile, “It contains thirium for healing your hand, first off…”

Nines suddenly remembered the physical torture and torment his captor had delivered to the palm of his hand. It appeared that in the haste and growing fears and worries of moving forward closer to an escape, he’d forgotten about the scar and the pain…

He raised the limb as he turned it towards his face, dropping the little baggie down on the floor by one of the feet of the chair as he studied his human skin.

The skin was pretty badly damaged where the cigarette burn mark still was, but if Nines drank some thirium and took care of his internal bio-components, there was a high chance that the skin would be healed in time.

He suddenly frowned when a thought crossed his mind. It sounded kind of strange and off-putting that his captor suddenly wanted to help him, given the fact that he was the one responsible for the mark ending up there on his palm in the first place…

There was also the question of what else the bottle contained, and Nines frowned with a questionable expression pointed up is at his captor, expecting the rest of the answer.

“What else is in there?”

He tipped his head back and drank the beverage, nearly spitting it out once he took the first gulp of it. His captor snorted as he observed him silently.

Nines grunted as he wiped his mouth and lips with the back of a hand, “It’s disgusting!”

“It contains ginger and honey for sweetness, my sweetness,” his captor gave him a playful, sly wink as he moved back, “there’s gallons of it beneath the stairs.”

Nines shoved the bottle back into the man’s hands, “I don’t want it…can I have something else?”

He didn’t know why he’d asked that question, but he was positive it was part of his plan to get his captor to ‘bond with him’ and trust him. At least, he hoped so…

His keeper eyed him with an air of annoyance as he set the bottle down on the counter next to the cutting board.

“Well…” he began humming as he turned around swiftly.

As Nines observed him, he walked over towards the kitchen counters by the sink, and he pushed aside a little white jar labeled: **SUGAR.** There was something beneath it, and Nines couldn’t see it as the man swiped it up and turned back around quickly.

He held before Nines a dark brown and deep green rolled up cylinder-shaped object as he wore a confident grin on his face while bending so they were eye-level.

“Do you fancy a wee doobie?”

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

His keeper soon learned that androids could somehow get ‘high’. While it wasn’t the same intensity and effect as when a human being got high, it somehow still amused the man as he sat beside Nines in a similar looking old, rickety wooden chair.

They were both spacing out; Nines holding the marijuana joint in between a few of his fingers as he stared into empty space with wide eyes. He strangely hadn’t required a lot of begging on the behalf of his keeper before he started smoking a joint, and that thought disturbed him.

But Nines knew why he himself had done it; it was sacrifice for the sake of progress and advancement towards his own escape and capturing this horrible creature once and for all. He’d willingly done this for the protection of all of Detroit city, only he hadn’t expected himself to fall prey to losing himself in the strange sensations the burning joint had brought to him.

He let go of everything however, as he stared over at his captor and noticed he was smiling down at the little baggie sitting on Nines’ lap. Eerily, Nines found his wound from the cigarettes burn had healed almost entirely after he’d sipped a little bit more of the disgusting beverage his captor had put together for him. He’d been smoking and drinking for at least an hour with his character sitting silently by his side simply watching him.

The man hadn’t offered much in the way of conversation, but tonight instilled a peculiar sensation within Nines that he didn’t need it or require it as his mind spun and began rapidly blurring. Nothing in the room was a solid anymore; all the shapes and sights within the kitchen seemed to bend the fabric of reality as they formed odd shadows and odd shapes of their own, completely unknown to the real waking world.

Nines held the joint loosely, and it nearly fell a few times. His captor tightened his fingers around it as he sighed.

Their eyes met, and Nines saw two of the man…

It made him chuckle as he pointed at the ‘double’ man, and his captor leaned in close while he grabbed the joint, “Fuckin’ good, give me a puff of that…”

When their lips almost brushed against each other, Nines cringed as he smelled the man’s horribly foul breath. It made him dizzy as he felt the joint being taken away from him, and his keeper glared at him while he took a long drag.

“What’re you wincing for?”

Nines glared at his mouth, “Your breath!”

Smoke billowed in his face, “What’s wrong with my breath?”

“Ugh,” he turned his head away from it, “It smells like rotten onions and cat piss…”

His keeper emitted a little shocked cough and gasp as he rolled his eyes and let out a sarcastic laugh, “Not too bad today then.”

The room was spinning, and the items within it were hanging upside down from the ceiling soon. Nines focused on it, seeing the floor mold into the ceiling as the walls waved at him like the mirror reflections of a funhouse…

So this was what it felt like to be high, Nines thought. He couldn’t altogether say that it was a horrible experience as his body felt numb, the pain completely ebbing and draining away as he sat almost comfortably back in the chair while smirking over at his captor and shaking the small baggie in his free hand at him like some kind of toy.

“Want some ‘E’?”

His captor stared down at the bag in minor surprise. Nines held out the bag to him, and as he grabbed the top of it, they both tried avoiding noticing how their fingers accidentally brushed in the process.

“Where did you get that?”

Nines looked up at the ceiling and snickered, “It was in her sweater pocket…I guess she left it as a gift for us…”

His captor nodded, “Oh did she?” he rolled one of the pills in between his thumb and index finger, “Well that was nice of her.”

Nines looked over in time to see the man taking out one of the pills as he licked and bit a small edge of it.

The android glared at him while stretching his neck up, “The hell are you doing?!”

“I’m tasting it to see if it is actually ‘E’,” he sampled more of it with his tongue as he hummed deeply, “it seems to be…”

Before Nines could comment further, the man dipped his head back and dropped both pills inside his mouth. He swallowed them down quickly and dryly, and Nines gasped as he leaned on the edge of his seat and glared at his keeper.

“Did you just take _both_?!?”

The man nodded with a smug expression, “Mhm.”

Nines gaped at him openly, “Whyyyy?!?!”

Truthfully, he’d wanted the man to take at least one, knowing how powerful the drug was. But he hadn’t expected him to take both of the pills, and he was now worrying that he would faint or possibly die. If he did in fact overdose from it, that wasn’t entirely a loss, but Nines wanted to keep the horrible son of a bitch alive for as long as possible, so he could personally bear witness to him suffering at the hands of the law when justice was delivered swiftly…

His captor blinked and shrugged, “They’re not good for you, especially given how you’re an android,” he brushed some dirt and stains off his apron, “you shouldn’t be messin’ about with them, especially given how ‘antsy’ and sensitive _you_ are, babe! It’s very dangerous!” His eyelids twitched, and it was perhaps a sign that the pills were working together, quickly…

Nines almost rolled his eyes, “Then why do you get to take them?” The man wasn’t certainly an android, and there was no way he was built that strongly…

His captor simply ran a hand through his hair as he sat back into the chair and crossed a leg over the other, “Because I’m already terminally fucked.”

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

He didn’t know how or why he passed out, but Nines knew he had when he felt himself being strapped down to the old wheelchair his captor had previously tied him down in. He assumed that there was more inside the beverage he’d been forced to drink than his keeper had originally let on.

Maybe that would explain why he had some trouble remembering things, but when he did remember bits of the things he’d mumbled freely out loud to his keeper, the memories-as faint as they were-had been nothing short of embarrassing and callous.

It wasn’t his business what the woman was doing with the Ecstasy drug in her sweater pocket; but he’d mentioned that it was a gift for them to share…

Nines was again cursing himself for being so careless and naive that he had gone and trusted the man when he’d done nothing but betray and abused that trust. It seemed he would never learn from his mistakes and flaws.

As he was still groggy, he knew he was slowly coming to the world of consciousness as he felt that they were now being pushed and dragged outside. The wheelchair’s wheels squeaked and groaned over leaves and grass as his captor stood walking behind him while wheeling Nines ever forward.

Oddly, Nines was unable to hear the sound of nature, even though it was late afternoon as he stared about with exhausted eyes. The yard his captor had wheeled him into a spacious and large, only Nines was unable to tell whether or not the land was specifically owned by his captor and a part of the old house that they were previously holed up in.

He had nothing else to go off of as he sat numbly in the wheelchair noticing that he hadn't been blindfolded or gagged…perhaps his plan of getting the bastard to trust him was finally bearing some fruit.

The man obviously didn’t see any reason why he needed to gag or blindfold Nines as he whistled and hummed a strange tune to himself while the warmth of the outdoors passed them by.

As Nines listened on while he was being continuously wheeled through tall, unkempt sections of grass and bushes, he soon heard his keeper singing a creepy song.

“I may not always love you, but long as there are stars above you, you never need to doubt it…” his voice was soft and surprisingly gentle, and Nines heard the small ‘hissing’ and ‘thudding’ of a heavy weight against the side of the wheelchair as they walked ahead through the large thicket of trees.

“I'll make you so sure about it…God only knows what I’d be without you.”

Nines tried turning over to the side and noticed a black garbage bag. He squinted as the wheelchair shook and bounced, but he couldn’t see what the clanking and thudding was in the black garbage bag tied to one of the handles of the wheelchair. His captor moved it out of the way as he cradled the bag to his chest while he whistled and sang even softer.

It was strange how tender his voice sounded as he practically ‘caressed’ the words as he sang them out.

“If you should ever leave me, though life would still go on, believe me! The world could show nothing to me, so what good would living do me? God only knows what I’d be without you!”

He was starting to sing terribly off-key, and Nines cringed upon hearing the tortured tune. Soon, they walked deeper into the small forest-area before they came to a small clearing. The grass here was the thickest and most green Nines had yet to see, and tears nearly came to his eyes once he realized how badly he missed being outdoors and appreciating nature…

Perhaps he had taken these sights for granted, too.

His captor sighed as he walked in front of Nines and smiled down at him while holding the black garbage bag to his chest. It seemed really full; the objects inside it practically cutting through the bag as they jutted and prodded it in odd angles and shapes.

Nines couldn’t make out what was in the bag, but something told him he didn’t need to know as his captor leaned down and undid the bindings around his limbs, one-by-one…

Nines looked down in shock as he struggled, “What’re you doing?”

“I came here to share a delightful experience with you, baby,” his captor explained as he bent down and undid the last binding around Nines’ legs.

The moment the tall android stood to flee, his captor pulled out a small handgun and slammed it against his forehead.

He tsked, “Uh uh uh…I wouldn’t think of doin’ that, babe.”

Nines didn’t move as he glared at the gun against his skin. If he wanted to, he could always grab the gun…

His captor interrupted his thoughts as he opened the top of the bag, and as Nines leaned up to peer inside it, he moved backwards while still pointing the gun at him.

“Don’t,” he backed away, eyes still trained on Nines as he held the bag up high in one hand. It dangled high in the air above the grass, and Nines watched it, momentarily forgetting the gun.

His keeper let out a little laugh, “I often did shit like this when I was young, and I wanted to share it with you, now…”

Nines tilted a head at him curiously, “Did what?”

The man didn’t answer him for a long time. Nines wondered if he had even heard the question, but he knew the man had as he broke out into a wide, vicious grin. His teeth gleamed brightly in the afternoon sun as his eyes shined with cruel mischief.

Nines was about to repeat the question for extra measure when he noticed the man slowly turning to the side and spinning in a small circle. He was acting as if he was bewitched or put under a strange spell as he spun slowly at first, and then faster and faster while still holding onto the gun and onto the black garbage bag.

Nines knew that he could technically run away now, but he didn’t want to just in case the man had super-fast reflexes and shot him in the back as he was running. All he could do was watch and stare in shock and horror as the man finally held up the bag even higher above his head, slowly tipping it upside down.

He was still spinning as he did this, and soon Nines saw exactly what was within the black bag. One by one, white bones flew out of the bag and landed in various places as the man’s feet spun around faster and faster in a more erratic circle. The bones flung around and scattered about as they landed in different places at random. Once connecting with the ground, green grass seemed to eat them up and swallow them whole as they buried themselves within it.

As Nines fixated in his eyes on one of the bones, he finally noticed that they were human bones; not animal bones…

That was when his entire system lurched and heaved forward. He fell to his knees cradling his head and screaming at hard as he could when he realized that these bones belonged to the Asian woman. All the blood had been cleaned off them, and the last one that tumbled out of the bag was pure white as his captor crumpled up the bag and held it to his chest.

He had slowed down in the motions of his circle and laughed at Nines as if this was the funniest joke on the planet.

How could he laugh about something as horrible as this? HOW?! WHY?!

Nines didn't understand it, but he had had enough. He let out a horrible, murderous scream as he flung his body at his captor. They struggled as they rolled around in the grass and dirt, their shoulders and backs rolling over stones and the rest of the human skeleton of the poor woman as they fought.

Nines was reaching for the gun, but his captor held it as far away from him as he shoved the android down onto his back and bashed him in the chin with the butt of his gun. That however didn’t deter Nines, and he kept struggling and fighting as he rammed a knee right up violently against the man’s back. The force and impact of his kneecap momentarily distracted the monster.

That gave him a few seconds to quickly gain control over the position they were in, and he rolled himself on top of the man as he delivered a brutal punch to his nose. His red blood immediately flew upwards from the force of the punch, spraying Nines’s clenched fist and dripping and spurting wildly over his chin and neck.

The sight of the ruby-red blood made Nines feel satisfied for once. He knew he wanted to see it again as he delivered punch after punch to the man’s nose. He wasn’t able to break it effectively however, as the vicious creature soon rammed the gun deep inside Nines’ open mouth as he patented while delivering the blows to his keeper’s nose.

Nines felt the gun clashing against his teeth, and he quickly looked down at it. The man’s finger was on the trigger of the gun and he smiled through blood, saliva, and mucus as he finally distracted Nines long enough so he could punch the android right in his LED light.

Nines saw his vision and senses blurring and humming. The gun was still lodged in between his teeth, but his captor broke away from him as he slowly rose up to his feet while cackling like a wild demon.

The gun quivered in the man’s hands, shock and a look of pride across his facial features. Nines saw the gun slowly retract from between his teeth, but it was still pointed directly at his nose, eventually making its way up to his forehead as his captor laughed louder and louder.

Nines sat in the grass, not daring to move as he glared up at the evil man. Concepts of ‘good’ and ‘evil’ in a Biblical sense had never really occurred to Nines up until this point. But now, he was more than happy to conclude that this man indeed was evil.

It completely rolled off his shoulders as he laughed and laughed until he was heaving and grabbing at his own waist as he struggled to regulate his breathing. When he finally gained control over himself, he wiped his eyes with a hand and moved it down lower to grip the collar of his sweater as he pulled it up to wipe away the blood and mucus from his nose and mouth.

He simply sighed as he looked at his bloodied shirt and hands, and then over at Nines.

“I don't understand what your problem is,” he commented as he let out another little laugh, “ _this_ is who I am, and _this_ _is_ who you are now, too. I was always upfront and honest with you from the very beginning…”

Nines shook his head as he screamed out: “You are the antithesis of honesty!”

His captor merely shrugged as he jammed the gun harder against Nines’s forehead, “You can believe whatever you want baby,” he snickered again as his teeth clanked together and his tongue ran over his lips, slowly tasting his own coppery, crimson blood, “but I _have_ delivered on everything I promised and said I would!”

“YOU LIE!”

That outburst was what made his keeper lean in, and Nines moved backwards as he scooted back in the grass.

“You wanted me to follow the rules of my own game I did!” he explained as he counted off his honesty and sincerity one-by-one.

“You wanted me to give you two truths and one lie, I did! You wanted me to slowly trust you and let you go, and I did! You wanted to see me for who I was, and I gave you that opportunity!”

He bashed the gun over the top of Nines’ skull, though it wasn’t nearly with enough force to make the android collapse or pass out.

“I’m the one who is always upfront and honest about who I am and what I do in society, and I’m blamed and punished for shit that people who dress in fancy suits while waltzing around in pretentious offices do! They’re the ones who you should hate and want to kill; not me!”

Nines glared up at him as his bloodied saliva fell out of his mouth and dripped over his bottom lip while he ranted on angrily, “I have never put on a fuckin’ mask in order to ‘fit in’ or get by in this world, yet you think I’m just this unholy monster not even worth being sent to the fuckin’ electric chair!”

His eyes turned red with anger and fury, and it frightened Nines for the first time, truly. He’d never seen someone so livid; not even Hank Anderson on his worst day.

The android spat out with venom: “You killed a mother of two! You have nothing to say to me that will convince me you’re an ‘innocent’!”

His captor raised an eyebrow, “You wanna judge me?” he didn’t wait for Nines to respond as he shot out: “then what were the drugs doing in _her_ sweater?”

“You put it there!” Nines shot back loudly as he clawed at the grass.

This earned him a snort from the man, and he turned to the side as he spat out quite a lot of blood at the ground. “It’s these ‘normal’ people who you least expect that do this; not me,” he cleared his throat as he continued, “a lovely mother of two would never do drugs, right? Perfectly fits the stereotype…I didn’t put those drugs there; I hardly ever leave evidence or traces after I’ve killed them, and I usually burn their clothes.”

As Nines avoided eye contact, the man screamed out louder, his voice hoarse, “I take whatever the fuck I want from people, and I do it without smiling with a phony grin plastered on my face like your fuckin’ buddies at the DPD who blow each other behind your back while mockin’ you!”

Nines reached up with a hand, eyes wide as his LED light turned red. The man knew where he worked? Who he was? Who Hank and Connor were?

No…

He had to do something about it if that were true, for it could mean this beast as now targeting them, too…

First the woman, now them?

NO!!

His captor yanked him up with the outstretched hand he’d offered him, and Nines was kicked backwards until he landed in the seat of the wheelchair. He was bound within it once more, and he didn’t say a word until the gun was forcefully shoved down his throat again, practically.

As the sun started setting, they moved back towards the house as Nines closed his eyes and counted down the seconds and minutes.

His keeper waved an arm in the air as he laughed and sang out loudly while throwing his head back to look at the sky.

“GOD ONLY KNOWS WHAT I’D BE WITHOUT YOU!!!!”

* * *

 

Also, given how dark the content of this fic is, I wanted to share a funny picture of Nines and Gavin struggling with Gavin having a gun wedged in Nines' mouth. I found this photo on pinterest, and ever since I saw it, I KNEW I had to work it in this fic somehow.  
It's NOT my work, and the credit goes to the poster: Broinski, and the title of the piece is: 'Kill Each Other'.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have been adjusting to new medication, so if this chapter seems like it was written by the author when they were 'high'...you're right -_- don't judge, me else I will tickle you with a feather, my darlings.


	11. Codependency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little short treat for ya'll.

 

Connor couldn’t believe how quiet, dull, and boring the DPD was beginning to become without Nines present. It appeared that although the taller, more stoic android didn’t really seem to fit in socially to life at the precinct, he was still a pretty big part of it anyway and would be missed.

At first, Connor wasn’t so sure if Nines’s lack of attendance at the DPD had even really occurred to Hank much, but it appeared that the older Lieutenant had missed Nines just as much as Connor currently did. Hank seemed more depressed, withdrawn, and less talkative than usual as the days went by and Nines didn’t show up.

Captain Fowler asked Connor how successful he had been in getting through to Nines as most androids would during their internal, interfacing communications channel network. Strangely, Connor found that he was completely unable to make a connection with Nines.

He had tried, it wasn’t a matter of the fact that he hadn’t, but no matter how hard he made his attempts, there was just no connection felt at all from the other android. It was rather weird considering how Connor could have been at one part of the city and Nines another, and they would still feel each other’s vibrations and connections. Due to being based off the same model as Connor, Nines shared more in common with the RK800 than any other android. It just didn’t make sense or feel at all right that Nines had completely gone off the grid…

It was as if he disappeared off the face of the earth entirely…

“Perhaps we should start accepting the fact that Nines may probably be gone, forever…”

Connor refused to accept Captain Fowler’s words that day that he simply chose to announce that he’d given up on the RK900. Perhaps to their superior Nines may have been ‘dead’, but Hank and Connor absolutely refused to accept that notion.

While still working on the case of the Detroit Reaper, they also set most of their energy on trying to track Nines down and bring him back home. They’d started with checking his apartment, but the landlord there had stated that the security cameras had been checked, wiped, and cleared. If there had been any sighting of Nines on them, he would have been the first person to call it in, especially considering how Nines was almost a month overdue his rent payment…

They didn’t need more clues and indications telling them that Nines was missing. It seemed like the more they were searching for him, the more disappointed they were becoming. Soon, it wasn’t long before Captain Fowler pieced together that his top two investigators were using more of their time, energy, and resources searching for Nines than they were for the Detroit Reaper.

Captain Fowler clearly didn’t appreciate this, and it wasn’t long before he called Hank and Connor into his office. It took over an hour of him screaming down into their ears before Connor could finally get a word in and explain his theory to their superior about how Nines’s disappearance was closely related to the mysterious Detroit Reaper’s activity.

Captain Fowler had refused and vehemently rejected it at first, but it seemed like even he was desperate enough to go with anything that would promise the capture of the Detroit Reaper. The public and the media was growing tenser and more frightened. Naturally, this put Captain Fowler under more pressure to act, NOW.

Given how confidently Connor was presenting his theories and his case, Captain Fowler eventually let them work with their theory that Nines had been abducted by the Detroit Reaper. He just forced them to swear not to discuss the case with anyone else or disclose their ideas and their theories.

“We’re not stupid, Jeffrey,” Hank grumbled as he scratched the back of her his hair and tugged on the little ponytail he wore.

“You guys may not be, but I can’t trust anyone else,” Captain Fowler whispered at them while staring around his office nervously, as if the entire precinct had ears in the inside of his office and were currently spying in on this conversation.

Hank and Connor could understand the feelings of paranoia coming from their Captain. They chose not to argue with him anymore, leaving his office after promising him that the search efforts for Nines wasn’t all for naught; they would soon be bringing back two bodies into the precinct; one of them would possibly be Nines, and the other? Hopefully the Detroit Reaper…

That is, _if_ he even was human…

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Nines heard the clinking of his hand cuffed as he shook it around the old radiator he was clearly and currently bound to. He’d simply been left there for a few hours in the same old, dusty bedroom his captor had been sleeping in all night. This was the first time Nines had ever seen and witnessed the man staying overnight in the old house.

He clearly didn’t want to leave Nines alone for whatever reason, and while he made himself comfortable on the large, four-poster bed, he handcuffed Nines to an old radiator in the corner of the room. Nines had little else to do while the monster slept. Within an hour he was completely bored out of his mind, and all he could do was try to ignore the way the man was lightly snoring as he succumbed to a deep, comfortable sleep.

It was then that Nines realized how much he missed his apartment. Not that it held many things for him or brought him many emotions, but it was still _his_. It was strange how concepts like this had never really occurred or mattered to him in the past, but now, it certainly meant the world to him and it was all he knew.

He’d been segregated and abandoned so often that even a faint whisper from his captor had been as comforting to him as the memories of the interior of his apartment. Isolation was doing strange things to his mind, and Nines didn’t want to know what else this horrible monster had planned for him. All he knew was that he shouldn’t have been comforted and placated by the man’s deep voice like it was a pet or a best friend talking to him.

But it was, and Nines soon felt disgusted with himself when he finally caught on to this new game his captor was playing…

The insane man was fostering codependency. There was no other way to describe what else he was doing, and Nines didn’t want to delude himself into thinking it was anything less than that.

It was nothing but an insane need and desire to force Nines to depend and be comforted by nothing and no one other than his keeper, and Nines hated relying on anyone else. He was an android, he didn’t _need_ anyone or anything else in his life! Yet here he was, falling into a peaceful little lull as he focused on his captor’s steady breathing beneath the bed sheets.

This was the most ‘human’ he’d ever felt since its creation, and while Nines wasn’t opposed to feeling human, he certainly didn’t want to feel this way and have these feelings brought to him by murderous psychopath.

He knew that Hank was largely responsible for Connor turning deviant, and he’d grown to personally admire and look up to the older man as a result of it. The RK800 had often related to him experiences and personal stories about his experiences shared with Hank when he started noticing he was turning deviant. Nines didn’t realize it at the time, but he often envied the RK800 for having such a good friend and confidant to trust in as he ‘woke up’.

He too had hoped to experience it one day for himself, but not like this…

Not because of this…

 _Monster_ …

As if on cue, the sheets rustled, and as Nines stared up above on the bed, the sheets fell back and were pushed away. Soon, the man’s ruffled, messy hair was revealed first, and then he sat up and glared down at Nines over on the floor. He definitely was awake now...

Didn’t this beast ever sleep?

He and Nines exchanged death glares from across the room, and soon, his keeper grabbed a fluffy pillow and propped it up against the headboard of the bed while crossing his arms over his chest and studying the android down on the floor.

Many minutes went by in an uncomfortable silence.

Soon however, his keeper decided that this was an opportune moment for lighting up a cigarette. Reaching over into a night stable and pulling open the drawer, he fished out a lighter and a cigarette from a larger package. He soon lit it up while keeping his eyes on Nines the entire time.

Nines felt a weird, tense, tightening sensation from somewhere in the middle of his chest while he stared at his keeper holding his cigarettes tightly in between his teeth and lips.

A clock ticked somewhere in the room, and it wasn’t long before smoke billowed around the room as the horrible stench of tobacco filled Nines’ nostrils and registered heavily in his system.

While these things had never bothered him as an android, he found that being forced to remain indoors in one room for such an exaggerated period of time while his keeper blew the disgusting, nasty smoke in his face repeatedly was more than he could soon tolerate. Sadly and unfortunately, it wasn’t as if Nines had the freedom or the right to just simply ask the man to put out his cigarette…

He’d taken enough of a beating the moment they had returned back indoors after Nines had brutally punched and attacked his keeper outside in the large, spacious yards.

Nines hadn’t even been permitted or given a chance to wipe away the blue blood from his face and chin while his captor decided to unleash another furious series of brutal beatings and lashings. Anything the man did served as a constant reminder to Nines that he was beneath his captor; this man was going to always triumph and be dominant, while Nines was going to forever remain in the loyal, subservient submissive for his entirety in the man’s presence.

That’s all it was and there was nothing further for him to read into. He knew that the sooner he accepted this fate, the better it would be for him. He knew he hated this more than anything else in his entire creation, but ironically, that seems to be the desired effect his captor was going for the entire time.

The creature had a penchant for putting people and things through torment and in situations they absolutely despised being in. That was where he got his comfort from, and it sickened and shocked Nines right to his core.

More smoke billowed in his face, and he glared up at his captor began scratching his naked chest while holding the cigarette above an ashtray resting on one of the night tables by the bedside.

“Can’t sleep, Plastic?”

What an insensitive question…

Nines ignored it as he shook his head over at the handcuffs. His captor stared at them before snickering and shrugging. He didn’t offer any other words, but his body language spoke volumes and said enough to Nines.

He knew he wasn’t going anywhere, and he preferred not hearing that sentence repeated over and over to him as the cruel man had while roughly and violently beating the daylights out of the android.

His keeper pointed at him, “See, if you hadn’t pulled the crazy shit you did earlier today, I’d totally let you come up here on the bed next to me…”

Nines fought the urge to roll his eyes. He knew his captor was going to turn this around and make it seem like it was all _his_ fault.

“But you…” his captor nodded at him, confirming his suspicions and estimates, “ _you_ were doin’ so good before, and then you went and fucked it up for us…”

It was always his fault, wasn’t it?

“Because of what _you_ did, I have to take back my trust,” his captor flicked the cigarette ashes practically onto the floor, as if meaning to degrade him further, “you do understand why I have to do this though, right?”

It was for his own good…

Nines spoke, “It’s for my own good?”

A white smile flashed at him, “That’s right, baby.”

If he were human, he assumed he would have puked, now.

His captor took another long drag from the cigarette as he studied Nines intently. Nines could almost see the statement forming on the man’s pink lips. He hoped that they would be able to avoid more useless conversation, but it seemed like fate wasn’t on his side of that night.

“I know you’ve got some questions for me,” his keeper whispered at him while rolling the cigarette between his fingers. “I can practically feel it from you…”

So be it.

Nines immediately shot out: “Why do you need to torture people, so your miserable life feels fantastic?”

His keeper winced, “Ouch, baby,” his lip curled, “wanna take it down a few notches before attackin’ me?”

Nines ignored this as he sat up straighter against the radiator, “There must be some reason why you’re doing this…”

His captor chose to flick the cigarette at him, then. It tapped against Nines’ nose, and he turned away from it while glaring down at the dirty floors. It landed by his kneecap while his captor rubbed his stubbly face.

“No one is born a serial killer, right?”

Nines didn’t respond.

“Fuckin’ figures,” his captor rubbed his chin while deep in thought, seemingly. “I think I need a shave…”

Nines spoke down to the floors and his lap, though his question was aimed for his captor, “You didn’t answer me…”

The man hummed, “Nah, I ain’t interested in bein’ psychoanalyzed by a fuckin’ android, thanks.”

Nines stared up when he heard the man’s feet approaching him, and to his surprise, his keeper held a key in his hands. He didn’t open the handcuffs yet, however…

He knelt down in front of Nines, only wearing white boxers that were see-through, and Nines glared as he avoided staring between the man’s legs while he was busy with pulling something out from under his bed…

In a quick flash, his keeper had thrown on a studded collar around his neck. It fit perfectly, though it was rather tight. Nines gasped as he struggled and yanked his neck back, but his captor slapped him across the face for daring to do that.

“Don’t fuckin’ do that again,” he growled viciously while taking the handcuffs off the radiator.

Nines didn’t move when he saw the man pulled out a long, dark rope, and he latched it with a lock and chain mechanism in the center piece of the collar.

It was a leash…

Nines confirmed it for his own eyes as he glared down at it hanging from the center of the dark collar around his neck, while the other end of it was held in the man’s hands.

A fucking leash…

Like an animal…

He was dragged up on his feet while the man pulled on the other end of it, kicking the bedroom door open as he led Nines down the dark hallway towards the bathroom. The android was practically flung across the room, landing roughly on the closed lid of a toilet bowl.

Before he could stand up, his captor had raised his right leg and shoved him roughly in the center of the chest. He’d been forced to sit down on the disgusting, dirty lid while his captor held the leash tightly in one hand as he stood before the mirror hanging on the wall above the single old sink.

He whistled a little, small tune himself as he turned and winked over at Nines seated closely next to him. A small razor had been resting next to an old, moldy bar of soap on one corner of the filthy sink, waiting for him.

As Nines stared with a curious, tilted head, his keeper turned on the tap water and lightly dabbed his face and neck in it before rubbing the soap along his skin. He’d lathered himself up for a few minutes before he finally gripped the razor in his right hand and held it over his left cheek.

He paused midway before bringing the razor down to meet his skin, and he turned and gave Nines a wicked smirk.

“Bet you wish you could bury this sharp thing deep into my neck, huh Plastic?”

Nines frowned at him, “You read my mind.”

Scraping soon echoed lightly in the bathroom while the old lights above buzzed and flickered a few times, indicating they were going to die out in time.

“I don’t appreciate your sarcasm lately, babe,” his captor warned as he looked at himself in the mirror, placing the end of the leash down into the sink while he used his free hand now to hold his chin and neck up high while he began shaving away in small, smooth motions.

Nines didn’t move as he curiously watched the man use the razor to glide carefully over to the right-side of his cheek within minutes. He didn’t miss a spot or an inch of skin, and he was carefully not to nick himself in the process.

It was fascinating for a moment before the man coughed and peeked over at Nines. 

“Somethin’ on your mind, sexy?”

Nines glanced down at his lap, feeling odd and strange for being ‘caught’ staring…

“Nothing,” he knew his place, and he hung his head like a submissive animal. Short of the leash, Nines didn’t feel like anything less of a domestic pet forced to stay by its master’s side.

His keeper grinned at him while focusing back on studying his own reflection carefully in the mirror as he pushed the razor down over his neck and chin.

“That’s exactly what I fuckin’ thought…”

His breath still reeked of tobacco, and Nines knew he’d leaned over him after he heard the man running the water again and washing his face.

Nines peered up to face the man’s clear skin, and he moved his head from side-to-side as he smirked down at the android.

“See? Not a single spot missed!”

Nines rolled his eyes, “Congratulations.”

His captor leaned in more closely, forcing Nines to retreat a little, his back hitting the wall behind the toilet.

“Give me a kiss,” his keeper pointed with an index finger at his right-cheek.

Nines turned away from him while growling softly.

His captor snickered, “Come on…”

So he was going to be subjected to humiliation for the rest of his time? How was he going to accept this, if ever?

He didn’t have the slightest bit of a clue, but he still found himself stretching his neck forward as his lips sought out the soapy-smell of the smooth, soft skin.

Nines swore he felt a little fire burning deep within his system when his lips pressed against the softness of the man’s cheek, feeling his heat molding into his own…

In an instant, his captor yanked the collar tightly in a few fingers. He tightly tugged on the leash, turning Nines’ head directly to face his own. Nines felt himself choking as the man began pulling Nines forward flush against his face. The kiss turned into a ‘deep’ one; his captor’s lips devouring his own within seconds.

Nines didn’t want this, but he knew his throat was being crushed when he tried inching his head back away from the man’s demanding lips. He knew he had no other choice but to ‘go along with it’.

It wouldn’t be so bad doing that, if only he would stop moaning and enjoying the way the man’s tongue snaked and wormed its way around his own, constantly stroking his tongue gently. He wished he could have better control of himself before his lips and tongue began responding in the same way his keeper’s were…


	12. The Spider and The Fly

 

Hank and Connor remained frozen when they sat across Jeffrey Fowler’s desk. It was becoming a weekly event now, so they weren’t surprised with Captain Fowler remaining livid anytime he called them into his office to discuss the ‘updates’ on the ‘Nines and the Detroit Reaper’ case, as there usually weren’t any.

Connor sat next to Hank, who was staring at the android nervously. Fowler didn’t appreciate the nervous, anxious facial expressions coming from his most prized, seasoned Lieutenant. It was a major cause for concern, and he chose to address the older man, first.

“I’ve been hoping you haven’t forgotten about your weekly input and report on the Reaper case, right Anderson?”

Hank snapped up to attention, clearing his throat and straightening the bottom of his black sweater down over his lap, as if hiding something while his report sat on his lap.

Connor stared down at the overturned page, his LED light flashing yellow as he smiled at Captain Fowler, “Sir, I-”

“Wait your turn, Connor,” Captain Fowler growled at him in a low warning while studying Hank intently, “it’s rude to interrupt someone.”

He hung his head low, “Yes sir.”

Captain Fowler raised a dark eyebrow, “Anderson, I’m talking to you.”

Hank sighed as he overturned his page. Two pairs of eyes peered down at the blank page that was as empty and barren of any words, just like the back side of it…

Fowler frowned viciously, “Hank, do you take me for a fool?”

Hank gave him a cold, lifeless glance as he placed the sheet on the edge of Captain Fowler’s desk and simply slid the page across it until it hit Fowler’s knuckles. They visibly tightened and turned slightly white as he growled at Hank.

“I’m warning you-”

“I’ve got nothing, Jeffrey,” Hank shrugged again and raised his hands up in the air, “I haven’t got the slightest fucking clue, but at least I’m honest about it.” When he was finished his ‘rant’, he crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged one final time.

Fowler’s eyes twitched before he turned his glare over at Connor. The android’s LED light went red before he leapt in his seat and gave Fowler a pained look that said he didn’t want to be yelled at or scolded.

“Connor, you better have something good to say, or so help me I’ll-”

“I have a lead!”

His excited, loud outburst made Hank and Captain Fowler sit up tall as they stared at him with jaws hanging wide open.

Hank raised both his eyebrows, his hands falling away from their crossed position over his chest, “You do?”

Connor gave a small nod, “I do!”

The office was silent for a moment, and Connor smiled with pride at Captain Fowler. A phone outside in the bullpen went off loudly, and it gave an inclination as to how silent it was within Fowler’s office.

“WELL? WHAT IS IT, THEN?!?” Captain Fowler screamed at the top of his lungs when the silence had stretched on for too long.

Connor’s brown eyes widened as he stammered out, “Th-the supermarket!”

Hank groaned and pressed a palm against his forehead, “We’ve tried that a hundred times, Connor…”

Fowler pointed at Connor, “If you’re going to waste this police department’s time and resources on a dead lead, I’ll personally make sure you’re held responsible for it, Connor.”

The threat didn’t seem to affect Connor, and he shook his head as he placed both hands on the edge of Fowler’s desk, “I’m aware of that, Captain,” he looked over at Hank with a worried expression, “but I’m very confident about this…”

Hank pushed some loose hair strands back and sighed, “You’re going in alone, then,” he suddenly announced as he stood from his chair.

Connor and Captain Fowler stared at him as he began walking towards the office door leading back out to the bullpen.

He paused as he turned and looked down at his shoes, a remorseful expression crossing his features, “I’m sorry, Connor,” he sighed and then looked intently at his android partner, “I’ve got better things to do in here than chasing ghosts in the streets.”

They watched him walk out of the office, down the little steps, and back over to his desk. He put on large headphones over his ears before he turned on his laptop and began working with his back turned towards them.

Connor was brought back to Captain Fowler when the man sighed, “Maybe he’s right, Connor,” he bit his lower lip, “perhaps we should leave the supermarket alone for now…”

“No,” Connor shook his head, eyes wide as he slowly rose from his seat, too, “I need you to just trust me on this, Captain, please…” he begged and pleaded softly, patiently waiting as his superior clasped his hands over his mouth and closed his eyes. He was breathing deeply, and he opened his eyes slowly, taking in the sight and form of Connor from head-to-toe slowly, as if he’d seen him for the first time.

He offered Connor a weak look, “Alright,” he placed his hands down in his lap, “work on your leads, but you are _not_ allowed to walk around unarmed, Connor!”

Connor held up a hand, “I can look after myself, Captain.”

“I’m damn serious, Connor,” Fowler said in a low warning while his eyes gleamed seriously, “I want you to protect yourself out there.”

He only allowed Connor to leave when he’d promised him he would carry a firearm with him at all times, but he also called Hank to check if Connor had actually physically taken the weapon with him.

He’d left it in his desk drawer as he called for a taxi heading to _Jon’s Supermarket._

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor knew he’d purposefully left his firearm in his desk drawer back in the precinct. As much as he hated himself for lying to Captain Fowler, he felt that it was for the best. There was going to be no way for him to get close to the Reaper if he was armed, as the man would likely be able to tell immediately.

He’d studied the parking lot for almost an hour when other shoppers began eyeing him nervously and suspiciously.

He hadn’t brought his badge or I.D. with him, and all he could do was try to avoid their heated glares and gazes of confusion as he looked at the vehicles. He studied their license plates carefully, scanning them as he pulled up driver’s licenses and other information.

So far, no one in his vicinity had a criminal record. While he was thankful for it, he began growing irritated with the lack of progress he was making.

He was so sure that this supermarket had been a ‘hot spot’ for Reaper activity, and so far, he was being proven wrong. Still going with the idea that this was an area for abductions to take place, Connor began heading inside when he couldn’t find much of anything in the parking lot.

It felt nice to be away from the dark, judgmental glares as he retraced their steps once again. It seemed like it had all happened so long ago as he let his eyes and ears grow accustomed to the sounds emanating from within the grocery store.

Life went on as usual; shoppers were bustling about as they studied isles and pushed about carts and baskets, looking for items they needed. They spoke on their phones, their children played and ran about, and the self-check-out isles buzzed and hummed as people exited and entered the store.

The lights above made Connor slightly nervous, as if anywhere he went, he was put under some kind of spot light…

He felt he was being watched as he headed near the bakery and pastry section of the store. There weren’t many people here, but Connor watched a woman and her two kids pressing themselves against the glass display case as they pointed at a particularly large birthday they were currently picking out.

Connor tried to look around more, but the children soon turned and gaped up at him. His LED light turned red, and they let out frightened squeals as they hid behind their mother, who was currently talking to the baker on the other side of the counter.

Connor turned away from them, feeling rather hurt and disappointed that they somehow found him strange or scary…

Sometimes, he wondered why he was still so fond of and loyal to humans, given how some of them still didn’t really seem to care for androids that much. Things had gotten a lot better since Jericho had won over the hearts and minds of citizens of Detroit, but there still remained a few people less than pleased to see androids with the same rights and privileges as the rest of society.

Connor hoped that as a protector of the city, his personal views would soon change if people started appreciating him for the work he did. He wasn’t sure when that day would arrive where people from all over would stop looking at him with fear in the eyes, and instead gaze at him in awe and respect…

Perhaps this was too much of a far-fetched daydream, but he could entertain himself with it for now while he had time. It kept his spirits up as played with boxes of cereal, cans of soup, beans, and other food items when he found himself in the ‘Dry-Food’ section of the store.

He wondered how humans consumed things like these as he scanned the cans and boxes with a curious, tilted head. The food stored within the containers held far too many calories, and he was suddenly reminded with Hank eating a hamburger and having soda back when they were first still getting acquainted with one another…

He’d tried warning the older Lieutenant of his poor eating habits and diet, then, but the man hadn’t listened. He was always munching on donuts, sugary foods, and other things he shouldn’t have been consuming.

Connor rolled his eyes and shook his head and he placed the cans and boxes back on the shelves. He’d had enough of this isle, but when he turned around to head out of it, he slammed against someone’s back.

Whoever it was had been standing awfully close, and they were standing back to peer up at some food items stacked on the highest shelf across the one Connor was by.

Their minor collision caused the person-a short man with dark brown hair-to spin around abruptly. He held in his hands a steaming hot cup of coffee, and the moment his chest rammed against Connor’s as he struggled to keep his balance, his coffee came crashing down to the floor.

The lid of the coffee cup exploded off, and all the warm contents spilled forth over the floors. It had narrowly missed Connor’s dark shoes, and he hissed as he stepped out of the way. Unfortunately, he’d side-stepped into a stack of rice, potato bags, and carrots, and he tripped over them.

The tall android fell back-first into the stacks. His head slammed against the edge of one lower shelf as he sank beneath and between the bags of rice. While it was soft enough to break his fall, his vision grew slightly hazy and blurred as he gazed up at the man he’d bumped into.

He was definitely shorter, but he seemed well-fit. He was wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. His muscles tensed as he approached Connor, his blue-grey eyes glaring down at him. He was wearing black boots, but he strangely didn’t make much of a sound as he stood before the android with a hand outstretched.

“Sorry about that, man,” he tilted his head at Connor, his right-eyebrow raised slightly.

Connor shook himself up as he rose to his feet without needing the man’s help. He brushed his clothes off as he turned and straightened the bags he’d knocked and shoved over. He had been busy with setting things aright when he noticed the man kneeling down beside him and helping him.

They hurriedly placed the bags and items exactly how’d they were before the accident, and Connor stood up as he studied the man when they had finished their task.

The man had a strange scar running across his nose over to the corner of his cheek, and Connor wanted to scan it when the man took a step closer to him. It shocked him, and he took a step to the side to evade it.

His shoes slipped on something wet, and his mind reminded him about the spilled coffee. Connor lost his balance, again, but this time, the man had been prepared.

As the android’s legs slid in opposite directions, making him appear to be doing a forward split into the man’s chest, he held out both his arms as he wrapped them around Connor’s waist. He had a surprisingly strong grip. His fingers practically dug into Connor’s bio-components. It frightened the android given how much strength the man seemed to have, and as he fell forward, he found he was being carefully cradled while the man turned him away from the spilled beverage.

Connor’s nose practically dug into the man’s hair as he turned them around. He took a step back, finally, and smirked up at Connor with a sly smile on his lips.

“Clumsy.”

“I didn’t mean to…”

He held up a hand, “Don’t worry about it,” he then looked down at the mess they made and the empty coffee cup, “but I really wanted that coffee…”

Connor didn’t have any cash with him, but he was certain he could connect to a bank once they found an ATM machine.

“I’ll compensate you, I promise.”

The man stared up at him while stroking his chin, “You know, you kinda remind me of someone I know…”

Connor ignored the statement as he tried to avoid making eye contact with the strange-yet-forward-man. He wasn’t used to this brand of confidence displayed, and it made him nervous as he glanced down at the coffee-covered floors.

“I’ll wire some money to you covering the mess and loss of the coffee, Mr…?”

What was his name?

The man caught onto Connor’s raised tone of voice indicating he was asking the question. He stuck out a hand for Connor to shake, “Mr. Reed, Mr. Gavin Reed.”

Connor took his hand and shook it firmly, “Connor.” Immediately, he cursed himself internally. Why had he gone and used his real name? He was such an idiot…

He hoped that there was no way for the man to ‘track’ him down to working for the DPD, but it was unlikely to even happen, given how androids didn’t have last names, and Connor wasn’t carrying any I.D. with him.

He vowed not to be more careless as he studied the man before him.

The man called ‘Gavin’ stared up at his LED light. He gestured at it with the wave of a hand, “I’m not tryin’ to be a prick or anythin’, Connor,” he took another measured step closer to the android, but this time, Connor didn’t retreat or move back.

He stared down at Gavin intently, trying to scan him for stress or heartrate.

Eerily enough, Gavin’s heart rate was at 73 beats per minute, and he wasn’t stressed at all…

“...I have to wonder why an android is currently food shopping?”

Connor swallowed.

“I’m not trying to pry, so you can tell me to go fuck myself and that it’s none of my business, if you want,” he winked at the android, “I promise I won’t get angry with ya.”

Connor didn’t want to say any of those things, and he folded his hands behind his back as he looked deeply into Gavin’s eyes, “I was just shopping for a sick friend…”

Gavin nodded, “Ahh, well that’s awfully nice of ya,” he smirked, “I’m sure she’s a lucky gal…”

Connor shook his head, “Guy…it’s a guy…”

He’d obviously been referring to Hank, as the man was the only human ‘friend’ he’d had for months. But he wasn’t going to tell this to ‘Gavin Reed’….

The short man nodded again as he licked his lips while staring intently at Connor’s. It made the android feel uneasy, but he didn’t back away or show fear as he stood tall. However, the man didn’t seem to be affected by their height difference. He held his own ground as he stared deeply into Connor’s eyes until the android had to blink forcefully; not by necessity.

Connor backed away finally, peeking over his shoulder at the exit of the isle, “Well, I’ll be going, Gavin,” he watched the shorter man follow him step-by-step.

“I’m late for…an appointment…”

“With your friend?”

Connor nodded, “Right.”

The man held out a hand over Connor’s shoulder, gently turning him around.

Their eyes met again, and Connor’s eyelids widened.

“You still have to pay me back, Connor,” he snickered.

Connor nodded, “Err, right, let’s-”

“Go for coffee.”

Had he heard him correctly?!? Surely not…

Connor gaped openly at Gavin, “Excuse me?”

Gavin whispered when the same mother and her children Connor had seen earlier in the pastry isle walked by, “There’s a cool café around the corner,” he propositioned Connor with a sly grin on his face, “come out with me for a sec, buy my coffee, and I’ll put this whole thing behind us.”

Connor began panicking. Why did this man want to go for coffee with him?!? Did he possibly see a friendship or a connection, already? Over what? Spilled coffee? None of it made any sense, and he wasn’t able to read the man.

Apparently, his hesitation wasn’t taken well, and the man glared at him.

“Unless this so-called ‘friend’ of yours is really a jealous lover who doesn’t want you talkin’ to anyone else?”

Connor shook his head, “I don’t have a…” he heard the children giggling in the distance, and to his ears, given the situation, it sounded creepy.

“I don’t have a _lover_!” While he was close to Hank, he didn’t consider him _that_ close, though the older man seemed to present some inclinations that he wished for their relationship to be more than that of ‘partners’ at work or friendly. He’d once asked Connor out for a beer, but when the android reminded him that he didn’t drink, Hank had grumbled something about being ‘dateless and hopeless’ forever…

The man called ‘Gavin’ smiled, “So come on then, before we get in trouble for this shit!” he nodded over at Connor as he began leading the way out of the isle.

Connor found he was soon following, though he didn’t understand why or how as he took slow steps behind the man.

That black shirt never was out of his sight as they made their way through the crowded store, eventually fighting their way to the exits.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor allowed Gavin Reed to treat him for the coffee get-together. He only hadn’t been expecting the man to actually ‘treat’ him…

He’d bought Connor a medium sized mug but no actual coffee. The white mug had the word: _Friendship_ written on it in red letters, with the dots of the letter ‘I’s in a heart shape…

Gavin had ordered himself a large coffee with two-sugar and cream in a medium sized cup for himself as they quickly found a seat in the busy coffee shop. It wasn’t as busy as Connor had thought it would be, which was odd given how it was barely up the street past the grocery store.

The weather was quite cold, strangely, even though earlier reports had stated it was going to be a ‘beautiful’ week…

Many patrons of the café were already wearing heavier clothing to prepare for the cooling air, their fingers gripping their warm beverages almost desperately. It had seemed like they were merely using their heated cups to warm their skin as opposed to enjoying their drinks.

The wind and the rain picked up while they’d found a seat, and it did not seem to want to leave any time soon. The windows were soon beyond soaked, as were the roads and sidewalks within minutes. People inside the café groaned, and a few whispered that they wanted to wait inside until the rain died down before they made their way to their cars.

Piles of green leaves had flown around the sidewalks and roads all over, making the once beautiful and luscious ambiance turn almost swamp-like in appearance. Puddles that seemed to only be small cleverly hid themselves in the depth of the large potholes on the roads and streets, and if ever a poor, unfortunate pedestrian happened to step into one, they faced an entire rest of their day with kneecap-high water-drenched pants and shoes.

Connor rested a hand on his chin as he looked out the large window in the coffee shop at joggers and shoppers walking to their cars while trying to hold onto their coats and hats as the wind assaulted them harshly, even managing to push a few people off balance.

“Thank God I’m not out there,” Gavin mumbled as he sipped his coffee and wrinkled his nose suddenly.

Connor didn’t respond, but observed Gavin from his peripheral vision while pretending to be interested in what was going on outside. His new mug rested on the table between them, and he played with the handle of it as he tapped an index finger on it before rubbing the circumference of the mug’s rim.

Gavin had a raised eyebrow as he stared at Connor, the steam rising up from his coffee and whipping about ins his face as if he had bewitched the cup and ordered it to wind about in the air like a snake being charmed.

“Am I boring you, Connor?” he whispered out, his breath grazing across the steaming cup, separating the sensual steam and pushing it back to Connor.

It certainly captured his attention, and he turned away from the window as he glared at Gavin.

“You’re not boring, but you’re not exactly honest, either.”

“I’m one of the most honest people you’ll ever see in your life,” Gavin simply said as he gripped his own coffee cup in his hands and drew the cup to his chest. He tried to get all the heat into his wet, cold hands as much as he could.

“Sounds like the very thing a liar would say,” Connor quipped as he crossed his arms over his chest.

Gavin didn’t take it as an insult, and he threw his head back and laughed, “I like you; you’re brutally blunt, but it’s in a good way, y’know?”

“What do you mean?” Connor inquired as he lazily sat back in his chair and tapped his toes on the tiled floor of the coffee shop.

Gavin finally met his gazes as he propped a hand beneath his chin, “You’re the exact opposite of a lot of people I’ve known; it’s refreshing.”

Connor tried not to focus too much on the loud noises of the other patrons of the coffee shop as they engaged in their own hearty conversations; some laughing and others practically screaming from joy. A large group of girls sat in the corner next to the window, all of them had their laptops out and open as they laughed and chatted amongst themselves.

He still wasn’t sure what had drawn this man to him, but as he focused on the compliments he gave him, he found himself slowly warming up to Gavin Reed.

It was unusual; he was always careful around strangers. But this man had a lot of charisma, and he seemed sociable enough to chat with him. It was a nice reprieve from the gruesome, dark, disturbing conversations he’d been forced to engage in for his job and duties at the DPD, and after some time, Connor found he didn’t want to return back to the precinct…

He could listen to Gavin talking all day.

The man had finished his coffee, but he was now discussing the forms of empty friendship he’d had over the years with people who only pretended to like the things he did and enjoy what he did just so they could warm up to him, use him, and then abandon him.

“I feel like that will be my future one day, too,” Connor sighed as he played with his mug, gently rolling it around the table between his hands. The man was an excellent listener, and it seemed like he was actually genuinely interested in what Connor had to say instead of just blurting out whatever he wanted.

“Not if you stick with people like me, Connor,” Gavin said to him with confidence, and the android gave him a wide smile.

“I’m glad we had this chat,” Connor said as he looked at the time and winced internally. He should have been back at the station hours ago.

He focused on connecting with a taxi, and his LED light went yellow, “I’m afraid I’m going to have to excuse myself for now, but I do appreciate getting to know you.”

Gavin nodded at him as he left the cup in the center of the table, “The feelin’s mutual, Connor,” he suddenly gave him a serious stare that made Connor freeze after he ended the call for the taxi.

Gavin leaned across the table, “I’d like to see you again, if that’s okay?”

Connor felt uneasy again. He must have portrayed this on his face, and Gavin held out a hand as he kept a neutral expression on his face.

“I mean only for friendship; I’m kinda seein’ someone romantically, right now.”

The android snickered, remembering what Gavin had said before in the store, and he played on the same words as he grinned at Gavin, “She’s a lucky girl.”

“ _He_ is very lucky indeed.”

Oh…

Gavin scratched his chin while studying Connor closely, his eyes never leaving the android’s face for a moment, “You know, you kinda remind me of him a lot…”

Connor shrugged it off as Gavin smiled at him. It seemed like Gavin was a very open-minded individual, and it calmed Connor’s nerves.

“I’m sorry for spilling your coffee.”

Gavin shrugged, “Don’t even worry about it,” he chuckled softly, “somethin’ good came out of it; I got to meet someone amazin’.”

As Connor felt himself calm down significantly to the point of being almost ‘too comfortable’ with the man, Gavin took the opportunity to smirk at him while nodding at the mug in his lap.

“So can I see you again, ‘friend’?”

Connor felt relieved, and he nodded with a small smile, “Alright! You can give me your personal number, if you want…” He knew he was taking this too quickly, but he felt a great sense of security and calm when the man reported that he was romantically involved with someone else.

As much as Connor was enjoying getting into this man’s mind and learning about his outgoing personality, he didn’t feel a connection or romantic attraction to him at all. He was always eager and happy enough to make new friends, however, and it was going to be a new treat talking to someone not involved in cases at the DPD and strictly ‘work’.

The man happily gave him his number, and Connor memorized it just in time for the taxi to arrive.

He’d allowed Gavin to walk him right up to it, and the man soon lit up a cigarette as he waited in the rain for the taxi to drive off. He gave Connor a wave of a ‘goodbye’, the smoke from his cigarette swirling in the wind.

Connor waved at him back before he couldn’t see him anymore from the other side of the rainy, soaked window.

Once the car began making its way for the DPD, Connor immediately connected to Hank’s desk.

It went to his voicemail, but Connor was happy enough to leave a message.

“Hank! I met a new friend!”

He smiled as he looked down at the coffee mug he held onto, his fingertips stroking the hearts serving as the dots for the ‘I’s.

“I can’t wait to tell you about him…”

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Nines shifted when he heard the door of the old house open and slam shut. He glanced up at his handcuffed, bound wrists, still attached to the old radiator in the bedroom. His captor had left him there for hours, and all he had for entertainment and company was the sound of rumbling thunder and rain pounding on the windows as he counted down the hours and minutes until the door had opened and shut loudly.

He felt nervous as the heavy footsteps began ascending the stairs, and Nines trained his eyes on the doorknob.

A lock was being toyed with, then the doorknob turned slowly.

Nines sat up against the radiator, eyes wide as he listened carefully for any sounds.

It was completely silent both inside the room, and outside, and it made him incredibly nervous and frustrated. He couldn’t scan the other side of the door due to another round of brutal beatings delivered to his head, and he was certain his processor and bio-components were beyond repair at this point.

He was left feeling like nothing…

The door suddenly flew open, and it banged against the walls of the interior of the room.

It didn’t frighten the android as he glared up at his keeper.

The man strolled in the room with a very happy smile on his face. He looked excited and as joyful as a child on Christmas morning, ready to unwrap his gifts. He was beyond soaked and wet, and he threw his shirt off as he ran his hands through his dark, drenched hair.

He walked over to Nines as he shook his dripping wet hair at the android.

Outside, the thunder boomed across the sky, and Nines stared at his keeper as he felt frozen to the spot.

This wasn’t good…

“Plastic,” he bent down on his knees as he smirked at Nines with a mysterious grin that hid what he was thinking and plotting.

“You’ll never guess who I bumped into.”

Nines was too weak to say anything, his human skin around his neck and throat tightened as he was forced to wear the same dog collar his captor had put on him the other night. He’d been left with only that on him, and he was lying completely naked on the floor right up until his keeper had walked in the room.

The man held a hand under Nines’ chin as he chuckled deeply, “I’d say he was the spittin’ image of you, babe…”

Nines’ eyelids opened widely as he felt fear paralyzing him completely.

“If fact, I’d say he could be your brother, or somethin’…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> God damn it, Connor 😑😐😑  
> Connor...you're far too pure and innocent for this effing world.  
> And sadly, it looks like Nines is back of the 'leash', so to speak 😪


	13. Folie à Deux

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: VERY ROUGH SEX AND SLAPPING! I'M SERIOUS, BE VERY CAREFUL WITH THIS CHAPTER, BECAUSE IT'S MESSED UP*

Nines shook his head roughly, feeling the clean pair of underwear his captor had flung over his head falling off and away from his face. He was able to see everything again, and he squinted and then glared at his keeper. The man was walking around the bedroom, running his hands through his hair as he flexed in front of a mirror against one of the walls.

Did he ever get enough of himself?

Nines craned his head back as he stared up at the man while he whistled to himself as he unzipped his jeans and shook them down his hips.

He looked over at the mirror, “Fuckin’ rain,” he sighed as he stretched his arms up above his head and his bones cracked softly. He had previously been wearing the jeans, but the underwear was fresh and clean. He’d meant to put it on himself, but for some reason, it ended up on Nines’ head.

Anything the man could do to degrade or insult the android, he would do, and he did it in a heartbeat.

Nines found he didn’t care; he was too worried about Connor and Hank. His keeper had previously mentioned that he’d seen them all together, but Nines assumed it was another bluff or a lie…the man was full of them, so how was he supposed to know better?

But now his captor had confirmed for him that he had indeed at least seen Connor…but how?

He wanted to know, but all he could do while being handcuffed to the heater and radiator was just stare up at his captor in a pleading manner.

“Please,” he whispered, “don’t hurt him…”

His captor clapped his hands, “HA!” his wet underwear clung to his thighs, and Nines stared at it for a moment before glaring up at him.

“You’re such a little bitch,” his captor pointed down at him while he pranced around the room. He seemed so giddy and pleased that he was disturbing and making Nines feel uncomfortable. This hardly surprised the android, however; sociopaths got off on these things, and that was a simple fact of life.

Nines shifted and his back slammed against the radiator when he tried moving forward, “I’m begging you not to hurt Connor…”

His captor gasped, “Jesus, it seemed he wasn’t lyin’ about his name after all, huh?”

So he’d spoken to him for sure…

No…

He felt his throat burning, “Why did you talk to him?!”

His captor glanced down at him for a moment before rolling his eyes up towards the ceiling in boredom, “Because I followed him in the supermarket, shit-for-brains,” he scratched his head, “I stalk people too, you know.”

“You want to abduct him and do to him what you’ve done to me…” Nines whispered as he practically collapsed to the floor when his mind supplied images of Connor bound, gagged, tied to a wheelchair, raped…

His captor snorted, “Don’t be stupid, Plastic,” he insulted as he scratched his nose, “I don’t want to fuck him…unless you want me to?”

“NOOO!” He hadn’t meant to scream it out, but he never wanted _anyone_ to go through the things he’d been through; not even his own worst enemy…

His captor threw his head back and laughed while rubbing his abdomen, “Oh you’re too funny, Plastic,” he wiped his eyes, “you should know I only have my eyes on you…”

Nines ignored that, even though it made his flesh heat up. He refused to believe a word the man said. He was a rapist, a monster, a murderer, a stalker. He could deny these things from here until tomorrow, but Nines knew better than to trust him. He’d fallen into that deep pit one too many times. Hopefully there was still time and a chance for him to crawl out of it...

He suddenly wasn’t alone. His captor had bent down in front of him, his masculine scent inches away from his nose.

Nines raised his head and glared directly into his eyes. The man didn’t back down from it however, and he only tilted his head at the android while placing an index finger over his lips. He appeared to be deep in thought, as his eyebrows furrowed while his lower lip stuck out a bit.

“I’m very loyal to people I’m screwin’,” he announced randomly while he searched Nines’ eyes for something. The android leaned back as he swallowed.

“I don’t really care,” he hissed at his captor, “I don’t feel anything for you anyway.”

The index finger tapped on his lips, and then chin before his captor hummed, “Are you sure about that?”

Nines nodded, “Completely.”

A smile broke out on his face, “I don’t believe you, babe.”

Again, why did he need to care? What did he have to prove to this creature? Nothing. He didn’t need to do anything except fight to survive on a regular basis, so Nines snarled as he leapt forward, hoping to bash his forehead into his captor’s nose. Unfortunately, at the very last minute before they could make any form of physical contact, the man leapt backwards.

Nines felt his arms practically stretching from the sockets, and he cringed and groaned in pain when he was forced to push back after violently tearing himself towards his captor. His flesh burned and ached with pain, and his eyes watered as he stared up at the man.

He smiled at Nines while clapping once, “Well done, babe.”

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

He opened his eyes slowly to peer up at his captor lying down on the large, old bed in the center of the room. The last thing remembered was being in so much pain that he’d passed out, somehow. He was positive he’d been beaten again, as that would have been the only way his keeper got close enough to place the tape over his lips there, but also to remove his choker collar...

His neck was free, but his hands weren’t! How was he supposed to escape and help anyone like this?

The moment he moved, his mind flooded with the memories of his captor admitting he’d gotten close to Connor. Nines was now worried about both Hank and Connor, knowing that if he trailed one of them, surely his keeper would get to them both sooner or later.

Was anyone else from the DPD in danger too?

Nines dearly hoped not, but he couldn’t ask the question. Duct tape had been placed over his lips, and Nines knew why when he saw his keeper holding a phone in his hands as he lay back against a large white pillow.

He was chatting on the phone with Connor…

Nines recognized the other android’s vocal pitch and tone the moment his captor had paused and laughed at something Connor said.

While he was unable to focus heavily on the conversation to hear everything Connor was saying, his captor spoke loudly enough for him, almost as if he really wanted to show off to Nines that he held Connor’s attention…

The bastard!

His captor scratched at his bare chest, and Nines then noticed that he was absolutely naked. He shifted on the bed, and the sheets fell away and off his lap when he turned to lie on his side and faced the wall Nines was against.

“Connor, you’re so fuckin’ funny,” he snickered while looking directly into Nines’ eyes, “how do you find the time to keep up with your sense of humor like that?”

Nines hissed, but he knew Connor wouldn’t be able to hear him. Oh how he wished he had control over his hands so he could reach out and yank the phone away. He wanted to scream into it for help, to bring the whole city down over this monster’s head for once!!

His keeper draped an arm behind his head as he nodded, “You’re tellin’ me!” he sighed while still keeping his eyes on the other android before him, “do you have time for anythin’ except your work?”

Nines froze for a moment. Surely Connor hadn’t been foolish enough to reveal what line of work he was in to the man? There was a good chance he already knew everything, but he hadn’t alluded to it…

All he’d said was that he had seen Connor and Hank with him at some point, but hopefully not in the DPD?

He was confused, but held onto the hope that Connor had a sixth sense for evil. He looked up hopefully at the phone and missed the fact that his captor’s cock was growing erect the longer his eyes lingered on Nines’ form…

He sighed, “I mean datin’, Connor,” their eyes suddenly met, and Nines glared at him.

What was he saying to Connor now?!

His captor smirked as he dropped his hand from behind his neck to rest on the inside of his wide-open thighs. He seemed to have no shame, and his fingers trailed over to his balls, playing with them and gripping them gently as he bit his lower lip. His eyes glazed over with lust as he stared intently at Nines.

What was he doing!?

Nines looked away from the phone as he saw the man’s fingernails running and trailing over his thighs. They instinctively opened wider, and Nines studied the pale flesh with dark hairs spread over in the appropriate places.

Apparently, his keeper enjoyed being watched, and his hands fell over to his cock again, and he gave himself a firm squeeze.

Nines raised his eyes up at him and frowned deeply.

“No sexy chicks at your workplace, huh?” he shook his head as he smiled widely at Nines, “you sure you’re not wanting to give guys a chance?”

Nines growled in his throat, struggling against his handcuffs already. He didn’t like where this was going, and he wanted the conversation to end, right now. Connor and this  _monster_ had nothing in common to form even the basics of one conversation, let alone having a five minute chat. There would never been friendships in this creatures’s life! He knew he also didn’t want this vile beast gaining information out of Connor easily. He seemed to be highly skilled at it, and he knew that Connor was just as naïve as he still was himself.

As soon as the man saw an opening or a chance presenting itself, he was definitely going to go for it.

Nines felt himself panicking when his captor’s hands slid up and down his cock, and he wedged his phone between his jaw and shoulder as he nodded and hummed while listening to Connor speaking.

One of his hands teased the tip of his cock, pulling and twisting at the end of it, and the other began massaging his balls again.

“You shouldn’t be so closed-off to that, Connor,” he gasped lightly when he tugged and twisted at the red head of his hard cock, “you never know what you may find if you’re open for it…”

Nines bashed his head backwards against the radiator.

His captor paused in his stroking, frowning for a moment before he flashed Nines a smile. It wasn’t long before his hands resumed stroking, and he sighed while Connor rambled on.

_Stop talking, Connor, stop talking to him right now!!!_

The man bit his lower lip as he sped up the pace, “Men aren’t that bad,” he threw his head back a little, though his eyes lingered over Nines’ body with lust brewing in his blue depths, “hell, I think they may understand other men more than women can…”

_CONNOR!!! He’s the Detroit Reaper!!!_

The harder he thought these, the more he struggled. It got him nowhere quickly, however. He was draining himself of his energy, but every time he stared up at his keeper in the midst of pleasure, his energy got renewed. With extra vigor running through his system, he yanked himself forward while the nude man on the bed winked at him.

“Give it a try,” he laughed, “and if I may be blunt for a minute here, Connor,” his eyes rested on Nines’ exposed penis, “fuckin’ a man is way better than fuckin’ a woman.”

That was it.

Nines knew what he wanted to do; he definitely was after Connor, next. The Detroit Reaper had already selected his next victim, and Nines had yet again helped him in some way. He couldn’t imagine it in his entire life, and he wriggled and struggled violently as he let out muffled moans and cries of anger from beneath the duct tape.

His captor hummed as he stopped stroking himself. His cock was glistening with precum, but he didn’t seem to mind it as he leaned back and shifted on the mattress.

“No worries Connor, I gotta go for now, but I’ll talk to you sometime later, okay?”

_NO YOU WON’T!!! YOU WON’T!!_

His back slammed and smashed against the radiator. Nines suddenly turned his head and looked at it.

If he tugged hard enough, maybe he could pull it out of the ground and from the wall…

He had to try!

While his captor laughed and brushed his hair back, Nines began tugging and struggling with all his might. He planted his feet down onto the floorboards and strongly began yanking with his arms and hands.

The radiator groaned and creaked, and his captor’s eyes flew up to him, “Sure thing, Connor, take care.”

Shit.

Nines gave one last tug, feeling his arms and human flesh burning with searing pain as he growled.

The phone sailed through the air suddenly, breezing past his cheek before it smashed against the radiator. It cracked into a couple of pieces, and Nines knew how angry his captor had been to throw it like that with such a force.

Still, his anger didn’t even pale in comparison to how angry Nines was. He tugged even more viciously at the handcuffs, and his captor got up from the bed in a hurry.

He approached Nines with an index finger pointed at him, “Fuckin’ stop that!”

_I WON’T LET YOU HAVE CONNOR!_

With determination in his eyes, Nines only retaliated by tearing away from the walls and radiator. His handcuffs clinked and jangled more, but they weren’t going to come off anytime soon.

His captor’s eyes grew wide, and he whispered: “Fuck you.” In a flash, he turned around and headed for one of the old night tables. As Nines fought harder and harder, the nude man yanked open a drawer and fished out something shiny and silver.

In the middle of struggling, Nines saw him turn back around as he brandished the item high in the air above his head.

It was a key…

He knew it was the key to his freedom, but he didn’t stop fighting and struggling. He fought even harder, even though his captor slammed a hand down over the cuffs as he extended his hand and brought the key over to the lock.

“Hold still!”

Nines hoped he knew what he was doing…

Once he was out…that was it…

As much as he didn’t want to take away a life, he had no choice anymore. This was weighing towards saving many lives, and it was for the greater good of society, and probably the world. This evil  _thing_ had no place on Earth anymore, and it was his own duty and calling to snatch the life right out of his body in one swoop. 

And he would do it with pride and enjoyment...

His keeper glared at him as he slid the little key inside the lock, but he didn’t turn it right away. Instead, he reached down and placed a hand against the duct tape. Nines peered down at his hand inches away from his mouth.

The man smiled a cold smile, “Might as well, right?”

The lock clicked open, and Nines was on his feet in a flash. He tore off the duct tape from his lips, flinging it down to the floor at the same time the metallic handcuffs fell down below. The sound was beautiful; it meant he was free, finally.

He wiped his lips with the back of his hand as his eyes fell on his keeper’s. The blue depths peered into his own, and Nines stood tall as he stretched his arms out before him.

They were both standing naked before each other, though neither of them seemed to care. Neither of them were ready to back down, and they flexed their bodies, as if it would scare the other male off.

It didn’t.

Nines glared darkly at his captor, hatred and violence bleeding throughout his body as he looked down at the shorter man.

“Leave Connor be,” he instructed once in a final warning. He didn’t want to repeat himself, but it seemed like the warning was ignored as his captor started playing with his stubbly chin and chuckled.

“Nah,” he shook his head slowly, “I don’t think so,” his eyes glimmered dangerously, “not with the way it’s gettin’ you all riled up…”

So his warning was ignored? At least he’d given him a fair warning, he could rest his conscience with that fact.

“So be it.”

Nines extended a hand and aimed a punch at the man, but he was quicker. After ducking away from it, he slapped Nines hard across the face. It momentarily stunned the android. He held a hand against his cheek, taking half a step back as he glared down at the man with wide eyes and his lips pursed in an 'o' shape.

How could he dare?!

Nines pointed at him slowly, “No!”

The evil man merely nodded once, “Yeah, I did.”

“You didn’t…”

“I did.”

Fine.

Nines raised his right hand and slapped the man even harder across the face, just in the same way he had done to him seconds ago. His head flew to the side, and saliva sprang out of his mouth as he let out a round of giggles. He sounded like an insane clown, though his laughter wasn’t ceasing.

Nines felt even more angry by that fact, and he slapped him over and over again.

“NO!! NO!! NO!!” Slap after slap was delivered, and his captor moved backwards towards the bed. Nines didn’t realize in his anger that he was following the man, and his knees soon hit the bed.

Snarls and roars escaped the human’s mouth as his eyes narrowed into dark, dangerous little slits, “YES I DID, YOU FUCKING CUNT!!”

“NOOO!!”

His keeper’s hands wrapped around his shoulders, and he yanked Nines down onto the bed with him. They rolled around in the old sheets, but before Nines could bring his attention back to beating the man up, he delivered another harsh slap to Nines’ cheeks. His hand then fell down to the android’s strong chest, and he slapped the skin there so roughly and harshly that their flesh turned bright pink.

They weren’t deterred or encouraged to stop, however, and they rose to their knees, balancing carefully on the old bed and mattress as they gripped the back of each other’s necks and beat each other until Nines saw his keeper bleeding. His lips tore and cracked when he accidentally slapped his mouth, but he didn’t care; he wanted him to bleed out right there on the bed until he didn’t have a single drop of blood left to give.

Their hands grew more violent, and each blow delivered to their skin and bodies resonated loudly in the bedroom. Their struggles grew more intense, and soon, Nines wrapped both his hands around the man’s throat, ready to strangle the life of out him.

He wanted to see the man’s eyes bulging out of their sockets before he let out his final breath. He would give anything to see the life draining from his eyes…

Nines wanted all these things, but instead, he shoved his captor down and kissed him roughly. He growled into his keeper’s mouth deeply while sliding his tongue around his own, though he wasn’t searching for a reaction; he just wanted to overpower him for ONCE.

Dear God, he was absolutely fucked.

He was lost.

He was damaged.

He had to die along with this beast…

Their lips were soon both bloodied as the man bled into the kiss, mashing their teeth against each other as he yanked Nines’ hair roughly.

Nines pulled back for a moment and slapped the man beneath him roughly. He sighed and groaned, his cock jutting forward, erect and poking bravely against Nines’ hip.

The android slapped him across the face again, and he let out a low, deeply sexual moan.

Nines snarled down at him, “So you like this? Hmm?”

SLAP!

“You like getting slapped and then fucked?”

SLAP!!

The man turned to jelly beneath him and allowed him to slap him for a solid two minutes before Nines bit his lower lip. His wild instincts took over slowly, and like a predator eyeing its prey, he gripped the man’s knees and yanked them apart viciously. His keeper gasped, but held his legs open while he peered up at Nines with lust and want shining in his eyes brightly. Nines sneered at him, and he realized he’d slid a finger inside the man’s hole suddenly. He’d meant it to hurt, so he pumped him with more force than necessary, but it made his captor wince for a moment before he slapped Nines across the neck while sighing in satisfaction.

That sound only earned him another harsh slap across the face from the android’s free hand while a second finger ferociously joined the first. He didn’t want to stretch the human, however; he really wanted to hurt him.

SLAP!

His keeper was slapping him multiple times in the face, but he didn’t care as he roughly jammed a third finger inside him in no time. He was pumping him so hard that he began groaning in pain as tears leaked out the corners of his eyes.

Nines peered down at his chest and saw that his nipples were as hard and erect as his cock. Ignoring the latter, Nines leaned down and sucked his right nipple before biting it. He slapped the wet flesh a few times as he pumped and slid his fingers in and out of the man’s body at a rapid pace.

They were both panting and growling in frustration, anger, and misery, but neither of them stopped.

SLAP!!

Nines bit his captor’s left nipple, now.

SLAP!!

The slaps were delivered to his neck and shoulders before his keeper’s fingernails dug roughly into his bicep as he fucked the man roughly with three of his fingers.

SLAP!!

Nines kept going until he heard the man screaming as he grasped him tighter than he ever had before. His fingers hooked into his flesh like claws, and he slammed his head against the messy, bloody sheets before he screamed out bits of garbled nonsense neither of them understood.

His cock suddenly spat out a stream of hot semen, and it pooled and landed between their stomachs while Nines sat up and yanked his fingers out of him.

Enough was enough.

The man rested a hand over his chest as he panted and wheezed through half-closed eyes. He smiled up at Nines with an exhausted grin on his face.

Their bodies were sweaty, sticky, hot, and blood was all over their lips and chins.

Nines thought they both never looked better.

He smirked as his LED light blinked red once, before it turned off completely.

“Goodnight.”

Before the man passed out, Nines lowered a clenched fist directly into his nose, knocking his ass out, finally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone take away my fucking laptop.  
> This was evil but so hot to write, like what the fuck...I need to go to a mental hospital 😶😶


	14. The Lord's Prayer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING! MURDER, GORE, AND RAPE FLASHBACKS!!!*

Nines threw aside the large dresser of the bedroom once he dug out black shorts and a white dress shirt with long sleeves from it. He hurriedly dressed while his keeper was still out cold and unconscious on the bed.

He was bleeding profusely from his nose, but Nines didn’t care if he lived or died. He had to get out of this infernal, dirty place. It was likely that he didn’t have much time on his hands, and he hurried as he shifted and turned the larger dresser to its side and fit it out the bedroom doorway as fast as he could.

Now was his chance, and he slid the large dresser completely out the door, backing it up until it he’d turned it and barricaded the other side of the door, wedging it beneath the doorknob and effectively trapping his keeper inside the bedroom while he made good his escape.

His mind swam with possibilities of how he would go about getting out, but as Nines stared at every window on the second floor of the old house, he saw that all the windows were locked, and barred…

There was no way he could bust out of them in one piece; especially given how weak he was. He would likely damage himself into oblivion, and he didn’t dare try it. He knew there was a front door to the house, and he’d walked past it a few times when he was searching around for ‘clues’ before.

Where was it??

He flew down the steps, but that only landed him into an old, dirty stairwell. There was a door a few inches before him, and when Nines tried turning the doorknob, he found that it was locked.

Fuck.

There had to be another way!

He ran back up the stairs, remembering there was also an ‘emergency’ exit in this old ‘retirement’ home. He just had to find the other door…

Colors and other blurred images flew past him as he jogged in the opposite direction from where he’d left the bedroom. He turned down the hall and made a sharp right, and he nearly collided with a staircase railing. Nines peered over the edge of it down below, and he saw stairs that simply led down to the front hallway of the house.

Excellent!

Zeal and excitement seeped into his system, and with renewed hope, he swung his legs over the banister and railing. He sailed through the air and fell down to the main floor, landing on his feet roughly with a loud ‘BOOM’.

He eyes darted around the hallway, and he noticed a large, dark brown front door…

It was barren of any glass insert, but it had a peephole right in the top center. Inching towards it quickly, Nines slammed his body against it and reached for the doorknob.

His hands grabbed at air, only…

What?!

He looked down and away from the peephole, and he then noticed that the doorknob had been completely removed. In its place, a heavy piece of metal had been screwed tightly into the wood of the door, and it effectively sealed and trapped people inside the house, and kept others out…

No…

NO!!!

Nines felt himself panicking again as his fingernails scraped against the metal piece replacing where the doorknob or door handle should have been.

He bashed his fists against it while simultaneously slamming his body against the large, heavy door, as if it would eventually break down and give him a chance or opportunity to burst out of the house.

It wouldn’t budge.

No matter how much he slammed himself against it, the door stood like a concrete wall. It was mocking him. The peephole peered down at him as if it was an eye silently observing him while he began to struggle more and more, harder and harder.

It was mocking him…

He was being judged…

It was all a test of his strength, his willpower to survive, and his bravery. He was failing this all relatively quickly, and he hated himself as he slapped and kicked at the door.

“NOOOO!!!”

He rammed his forehead against the door, but all that did was make his vision blurry and his balance off as he nearly collapsed down to the dirty floors. The room was spinning, and he was going to lose. He was going to die right here…

He was never going to be given a chance to see Connor, Hank, or Captain Fowler again, and he fucking deserved it for not being strong or smart enough to leave and protect himself while he’d had plenty of chances and opportunities to do so before. He should’ve known better, he should’ve fought harder, and he was far too weak against the monster upstairs.

That same monster had obviously come to, and as Nines paused in between bashing his fists and kicking at the door, he heard the floorboards upstairs creaking and groaning before there was a rough, heavy pounding against the bedroom door his keeper was trapped behind.

Loud screams resonated from upstairs when his captor realized he was unable to just open the door and walk out. He started slamming himself against the dresser blocking his way.

Good.

The bashing of muscle and flesh against the wood echoed upstairs.

BOOM!

_Struggle until you’re dead, for all I care…_

BOOM!!

Nines wasn’t ready to give up, and he slowly straightened himself up as he raised a hand against the door and clawed at it. His hand flew up and down quickly, and as he pounded and bashed his limbs against the door, he soon came to an eerie realization:

His struggles were almost occurring in time with his captor’s upstairs.

It was like an odd musical exchange; their fists and legs kicking at the exact same time before they grunted, screamed, cried out and hissed in pain. It carried on like that for some time before Nines stopped fighting with the door and simply listened.

Something heavy soon was moved aside, and a ‘thud’ echoed from the upper level of the house. It was silent before a sound almost akin to that of an explosion went off above. The wood of the dresser was likely in a hundred pieces, as the creature had busted through the barricade and was thumping around upstairs.

He had to leave, NOW.

He knew the man was free when the door banged against a wall, and Nines turned towards the door.

That was when he heard the interrupting sound of a loud knock.

He almost screamed out in fright when he heard it. It sounded so foreign and alien to him. For weeks now, he’d grown accustomed to only the voice and sounds of his captor, but now, there most definitely was someone else knocking on the other side of the front door.

It wasn’t his hope or dreams toying and playing with him when the knuckles and bones rapped against the door right where his nose was. It shook the wood of the door, and it was most assuredly as _real_ as ever.

Nines peered up into the peephole, and he squinted as his vision tried growing used to peering out the little hole in the door until he saw a man standing on the front porch of the old house.

He looked to be no older than thirty, and he had a yellow baseball cap on his head, a black sweater, and was wearing some kind of thick, heavy work pants.

The man stared at the door as he took a step forward and knocked again, “Hello?”

Nines was unable to get himself to speak, but he knew he had to say something when he heard  water running upstairs in the bathroom…

“Hello?”

More knocking came, and Nines glanced behind the man, and at the driveway of the house. An older car was parked there, and as Nines studied it carefully, he saw that a tire had been blown out. It was flattening quickly, and he then understood why the man was here:

He needed help!

But so did he…

This man was his only chance to get out of this house of horror, and with the way he was desperately knocking, Nines almost screamed out for him to step away from the door while he tried kicking it down again.

Unfortunately, a knife suddenly flew forward, and it grazed past his cheek and dug itself in the wood of the door right beside his right eye. It had barely missed, and Nines gasped as he turned around quickly.

He found himself slammed against the door as his keeper pressed a hand against his mouth while pointing an index finger at his own lips, “Shhh…”

The man was dressed in a white workout undershirt and loose, dirty jeans, and he had wiped majority of the blood off his mouth, lips, and chin. It was scary how he’d cleaned up so quickly, and Nines only stared with wide eyes as the man yanked the knife out of the door while the other man on the other side of the door called out again.

“Anyone home?”

His keeper flashed a dangerous, evil smile at Nines as he pressed himself against the android roughly, “Make a fuckin’ sound, try to escape or do anythin’ stupid, and I’ll dig this knife right into Connor’s eyes.”

Nines roared, but it came out in a muffled gargle as his keeper craned his neck up and yelled out: “Just a second!!!”

A relieved sigh came from the man on the other side of the door, and Nines felt his insides turning to mush. He didn’t have a chance anymore. The monster had caught up to him, and he could almost predict the fate of the man on the other side of the door.

But perhaps he still had a chance to warn him, to save his life…somehow?

“Are you gonna be quiet and play pretend?” his keeper’s heated breath hit his nose, and Nines peered down at him with wide eyes.

The man didn’t like the silence, and he bit the android’s nose, “I said: are you gonna do anythin’ stupid, or are you gonna play pretend until this asshole leaves?”

There was only one answer he could provide in order to save both Connor and their new ‘guest’. Nines frantically nodded, his eyes growing larger and wider as he saw his captor’s shoulders relax a little while he smiled.

“Good,” he still kept his hand over the android’s mouth, but he placed his knife in his back pocket of the jeans while he took a step back.

Eyes on the door, he called out to the man behind it: “Come around the back through the garden! This door’s busted!!”

Immediately, the voice answered: “Thank you!”

No…

No!!!

His keeper backed away from him, holding his arms up slowly as he nodded at Nines, “Okay? You alright, now?”

Nines swallowed and only nodded back. He found he couldn’t say anything when knocking came from within the dirty kitchen, now.

His keeper nodded in the direction of the kitchen, now, “You go first.”

It registered to Nines that the man was on the other side of the door his keeper often used in the past to wheel him out of the house, and it troubled him greatly. That may as well have been their escape, but this too was now snatched away.

He dragged his bare feet across the floorboards as his shorts were yanked back up by his keeper. He hadn’t even realized they were falling; the size was too large for him, but the shorts managed to stay up when they pushed through the swinging door of the kitchen, his keeper’s fingers tightening the string around the front of it into a tiny knot.

The knocks grew harder and louder in the far left-hand corner, and Nines saw the man’s shadow from the dirty windowpane.

“Hello?” he knocked again as he waited behind the door, and Nines was stopped by his keeper as he shoved him roughly against the kitchen island while he took a step towards the locked door.

He threw a glance over at Nines, “Don’t you fuckin’ move.”

Nines watched as the man unlocked the door, and he slowly pulled it open with a loud ‘creak!’ as he looked at their new guest.

The moment his keeper had opened the door, sunshine and the sounds of nature flooded the house. But Nines couldn’t relax and enjoy it for long. He saw their new guest take off his baseball cap, revealing curly red hair from beneath it. He had light freckles, sunspots, and large brown eyes that nearly resembled Connor’s…

_Oh God, Connor…_

He smiled as he exhaled a sigh of relief, “Thanks, sir,” he looked inside the house, “can I please use your phone?”

His captor stood to the side, making room for their guest as he gestured with an extended hand inside the kitchen, “By all means.”

It was amazing to see how quickly the man switched from a vile beast to a welcoming host. He smiled brightly at their new guest, his teeth shining brightly as he stood straight and tall with confidence as the wind blew back his hair.

The man entered the house, wiping his boots on the dirty floormat resting by the door as he sighed again, “My car blew a tire, and I left my phone at home with my girlfriend,” he laughed as he ran a hand through his hair while Nines’s keeper kept his eyes on him. They seemed to be welcoming and kind, and emotions and warmth crossed his features as he nodded.

“I understand.”

“I’m so brain-dead some days, she always tells me!” The curly-haired male walked inside the kitchen, and then stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Nines.

He gasped, and then held a hand to his chest as he laughed while staring over at the short captor, “Shit! Sorry!” he laughed a tiny laugh, “I didn’t think anyone else was home!”

Nines widened his eyes at the man, but then forced a smile on his face when he saw his captor standing behind their guest and snarling at Nines. His hands drew back, and Nines knew it was a warning that he wasn’t afraid to make good on his threats…

He forced his mouth to move before things seemed ‘odd’, “Y-yes! I heard you knocking!!” He hoped he sounded convincing and friendly enough, and he must have, for his keeper turned and gently closed the kitchen door. While pulling his shirt down lower, just enough so the knife was completely hidden within his back pocket.

He winked at Nines, almost grateful for keeping their little secret between them.

The last bits of warm wind blew in at the very last moment, and it pushed the open folds of the dress shirt he was wearing back as Nines swallowed nervously while smiling at their guest.

The man’s eyes fell to Nines’ bare chest, and he noticed the loose shorts and messy hair of the android. A blush formed on his cheeks as he coughed and waved his baseball cap before him. He was fanning himself with it, and Nines’ keeper crossed his arms over his chest as he leaned against a kitchen wall and grinned at their curly-haired guest.

“S-sorry,” the man laughed as he looked down at the floor in shame, “I didn’t mean to interrupt anything…”

Before Nines could reply, his keeper strolled over by his side, and he draped an arm over the tall android’s shoulder as he grinned at their guest, “It’s all good, man,” he reached behind him and withdrew the knife momentarily, pressing the blade against Nines’ back in a silent warning once before he placed it back in his pocket.

Their guest was unable to see it as they hid their lower bodies behind the counter and kitchen island.

“Kevin’s my lover, but we’re pretty comfortable about who we are, y’know?”

Nines glared down at the new nickname, but he didn’t have time to correct the monster next to him.

Their guest nodded as he cleared his throat, “I see…” he took a step back, “I went knocking on a few other doors here in this neighborhood too, but it looks like most of the homes are abandoned?”

His keeper departed from his side, “Yeah,” he stated as he nodded and leaned against the counter, “in a few more months, I bet the city will demolish all these fuckin’ homes.”

Their guest regarded him with wide eyes as he gasped, “That’s a shame; some of these homes are antique beauties, huh?”

The keeper said nothing as he propped a closed fist beneath his chin and grinned maliciously and cruelly.

It apparently changed the mood and atmosphere drastically, and their guest shuffled his feet as he looked around the kitchen nervously. Nines knew he was uncomfortable, and he was gazing around for a phone to use as he shifted from foot-to-foot.

“Umm, well…Mr…?”

“Reed.”

The man nodded, “Mr. Reed, about that phone?”

The keeper straightened himself up as he gestured with a thumb over his left shoulder, pointing at the double doors that led to the dining room, “I left my cell in the dining room, come on.”

Oh no…

Nines knew precisely why he was leading their guest there; the dining room had no windows.

No windows meant no witnesses.

This was the end.

He could see it coming already, and he felt something burning inside as he fought hard not to struggle, cry out, warn him…but reality painted a bleak picture: he couldn’t do _anything_ aside from standing still like a useless moron.

He was so ashamed of himself.

“Kevin, you comin’ babe?”

He snapped out of his worries as he saw his keeper winking at him while nodding over at the doors, their guest already before them as he held his baseball cap in his hands and gave a weary glance over his shoulder at them.

Nines followed like an obedient slave. With every step he took, he hated himself more, and more, and more. He should’ve searched the kitchen for another knife, ready to sink it and plunge it deep into this creature’s neck while he called for their guest to find help. He should’ve burst out of the house, never stopping in his running until he was on the front steps of the DPD and inside Captain Fowler’s office.

He didn’t do any of these things; he simply followed like an obedient, well-trained mutt.

What the hell good was he for, anyway?!

He saw the old, dreary dining room, and it looked just as dark in the early afternoon as it had in the evening when he’d accompanied his keeper for ‘supper’ weeks ago.

Light or dark; it made no difference.

Everything was black when you were dead and gone…

Nines watched as his keeper leaned against the right-hand corner of the dining room table, while their new guest eyed a small cellphone in the middle of the dining room table.

He seemed like an eager, excited child, and he reached out for the phone. Nines’ captor stopped him quickly, however. He placed a hand overtop of their guest’s, and it caused the man to glance up in confusion at the keeper. His brown eyes grew wide, but Nines’ keeper offered him kind, gentle smile.

“You gonna call your girlfriend?”

The man swallowed, “Not exactly,” he looked back at Nines behind him, “I was thinking maybe a tow truck, first?”

His keeper hummed in his chest, “Do you know where you are in terms of address?”

Their guest looked at the phone, just sitting there on the table in a silent offering, “Yeah?”

He sounded very unsure, and the keeper grinned coldly, “Yeah.”

Nines tossed the man a pleading, begging look.

_Don’t do this…please…_

If only humans could interface and hear the words androids thought. He’d never felt so helpless as he predicted what was going to happen next.

Their guest straightened his back and retracted his hands as he frowned suddenly at Nines’ keeper. He pointed an index finger at the man, “What happened to your nose?”

This caught their attention, suddenly. As Nines glanced up, he saw that a thin stream of blood was pouring down his keeper’s nose.

The very same nose he’d practically bashed repeatedly with his fists not too long ago…

Nines watched as the blood dripped down onto his captor’s upper lip, and he unfolded his hands from his chest as he pressed two fingers on his lips. He gathered and collected some blood there, and he turned his hand to face himself as he glanced down at the blood.

He snickered, and it sounded wet and disgusting as he stared at the blood with captivated and transfixed eyes, “You’ll have to forgive me,” he said down into his hand, as if talking to the blood there instead of the man before him, “Kevin sometimes likes gettin’ rough with me…”

The guest took a solid step back as he glared at the keeper, “Alright, buddy,” he emitted a pained laugh, “this is not right, and I think I’ll just walk until I can find a gas station or something.”

The monster’s eyes flashed yellow, practically. His eyes flew up away from his hand as he glared menacingly at their guest, “You judgin’ me?”

Their guest gasped in confusion and shock, “What?!”

The keeper took a few steps towards the man slowly backing up, “You don’t like it rough? Hmm?”

“This is insane…”

He was still advancing like a snake in the grass as he hissed thinly at their guest, “Your gal never beats you? Hmm? Never slides a finger deep inside your ass when you’re fuckin’ her?”

Their guest clearly had enough of it, and he roared as he stomped a foot down on the floor. He planted his foot below and spun on his heels to make a clean get-away for the door. Unfortunately, he collided into Nines’ chest.

He hadn’t been expecting the android to be right behind him, and the force and momentum of his spinning caused him to rear back and smash his back against the edge of the dining room table.

Nines held out his hands as he tried helping the man steady himself, but he clasped his hands onto the dining room table while Nines’ keeper threw his head back and laughed while clapping a few times.

“This is priceless!”

Their guest pointed a finger between the two of them, “You’re sick! You’re both fucked!!”

The keeper shrugged while still laughing, “So? We’re perfectly fine with who we are…” his voice grew quiet as he whispered gently, “we’re comfortable with change, but the only question now is: are you?”

“What’re you talking about?!” the man panicked and breathed heavily as he tried keeping his eyes on both Nines and his keeper, as if unsure which of them would attack him first.

“I m-made a mistake!” he stammered out in panic and fear as his eyes grew wide with terror, and he searched the room for an escape, or a weapon.

Nines’ captor growled deeply at this, “I don’t like the way you’re threatenin’ me and my lover here, asshole…”

He took a step towards their guest, and Nines then glanced down as he saw the handle of the knife sticking up from his back pocket…

“Who the fuck do you think you are comin’ into someone’s home, takin’ advantage of their kindness and then spittin’ in their face? Huh?!” his voice and words grew louder and louder as he closed the distance between his body and their guest’s more and more.

The man panted and gasped for air, as if the keeper had phantom limbs wrapped tightly around his neck and was squeezing the life out of him.

He kept his distance from the man, somehow forgetting about Nines, considering how removed and uninvolved the android was as he simply stood with his eyes fixated on the dark knife handle barely a few inches away from his own hands…

If he leaned down and was fast, he could definitely snatch it up!

“P-please leave me alone and I’ll go without saying anything to anyone!!”

“You’re. Not. Going. Anywhere.”

The moment that sentence came out of his keeper’s mouth, Nines felt assaulted by memories and images of when he’d said the exact same thing to him in the bathroom the night he’d taken him by force in his dirty shower.

He’d bashed his forehead lightly against his as he held him against the cold, tilted bathroom walls, reminding him over and over again that he wasn’t going anywhere, and he was going to stay there as a play-toy until the man was bored and had his fill…

_You’re. Not. Going. Anywhere._

The words bore down on him heavily, and he drowned out the sounds of their guest begging and pleading as he began to sweat profusely. He pleaded for his life, said he just wanted to go see his woman, and that he loved her dearly.

Nines felt the room spinning as he remembered the warm water in the shower beating down on his neck, back, and shoulders. Hands had ghosted over his flesh, parting his body, opening him up…

The same hands roughly gripped his, trapping him and barring him from fighting. He wouldn’t fight back; he just couldn’t. His body wasn’t his own, anymore, and he could only sit back and allow someone else to use his body like a toy…

A hot, warm pressure along with a gooey wetness slipped and slid inside his body deeply. Teeth clamped down on his shoulder, and he was pushing against a warm, solid body pressed closely behind his own.

The sound of the water grew louder and louder, drowning out his cries and moans begging the man to stop…

_Just stop…please don’t…don’t…no…_

“DON’T!!!!”

Nines screamed the word out, and in a quick motion, he shoved his keeper down roughly to the floor with a violent shove. In a second, his hands flew to the man’s back pocket where the knife was hidden. He slid the sharp weapon out of his jeans, and he held it tightly up before his eyes. He sensed and heard his keeper trying to get back up, but Nines bashed a fist down on his neck. Still holding the knife tightly, he gasped in triumph while the man fell to the floor in a ‘thud’.

It wasn’t a figment of his demented, depraved imagination; it was real, it was there in his hands, and it was now _his._

Their guest cried out in fear and turned once he saw the knife, bolting towards the dining room doors while screaming blood-curdling screams.

Nines felt every part of him throbbing and searing with a fire he wasn’t sure was real or not. It was lit, however, and it had begun consuming his flesh inch-by-inch. Soon, there would be nothing left to give…

Eyeing the running man’s back, he raised the knife high in the air and flung it as hard as he could forward. It zipped and cut through the air like a dart, and in one second, the tip of the sharp, pointy blade buried itself perfectly between the man’s shoulder blades.

He screamed as he tripped over his own feet, tumbling and crashing into a few chairs strewn around the kitchen. They smashed against cabinets and cupboards as the curly-haired man rolled between them, his body coming to a halt when he bashed his head against the legs of one of the upturned chairs.

The man screamed out in pain as he clutched his arm to his chest and held an ankle in another.

“HEEELLLPPP!!! CHRISTINE!!!”

It didn’t matter who he was calling and crying out for; he wouldn’t be heard. No one was going to save him.

He was all alone, and this was the end.

The broken man saw the powerful android approaching him with steady determination, and he crawled backwards until he’d run out of room. He wedged and lodged himself between a chair and the kitchen island, shoving the chair in front of him like a shield while cradling his injured leg.

His lips moved frantically as he whispered to himself while clenching his eyes tightly shut.

“Our Father who art in h-heaven, hallowed be th-thy name! Thy kingdom c-come, thy will be d-d-done, on earth as it is in h-heaven!”

He cried out a broken scream when Nines came over to him and bent down in front of him as he studied him with dark, cold eyes that seemed so ‘dead’…

“Give us this day our d-daily b-b-bread; and f-forgive us our trespasses, as w-we forgive those who trespass against us!!” he panted and stammered as he fought to push away from the android while the knife stood tall, perfectly lodged and buried in his meaty flesh.

He reached back and tried grabbing it himself, but it was no good. It was stuck.

From the dining room, a hand slammed down on the dark floors as the keeper sat up and let out a deep breath.

Their guest looked at him for a brief moment before his chin quivered, “And l-lead us n-not into t-temptation, but-”

Nines hurried over to him, and he dug his hands and fingers in the front of his sweater as he forcefully dragged him up on his feet. He yanked the knife out of the man’s back and he screamed even louder.

As he sneered down at the man, trying to block out the screams, his captor laughed out: “But deliver us from evil…”

_Amen._

He wanted the screaming to stop.

Images once again flashed of how loudly and terribly he’d heard the Asian woman screaming when she was thrown down into the dark basement, when she’d cried out for her kids, when she’d begged and pleaded for her life as she shed a million tears…

She was now silent, however, and it was this man’s turn to be silenced, now.

Still holding the knife in a hand, he saw the man’s eyes widen drastically before he brought the knife down and split open his throat from right-to-left before he could scream one more time.

The knife skated across his neck, and immediately, a waterfall of red blood sprayed the android in the face. He held his face against it, pulling the man close to his face as he draped an arm behind his back.

Nines hugged him to his chest as he studied the man’s facial expressions. As his blood poured down, he gaped at Nines while he struggled to hold up a quivering, shaking hand to his neck. His fingers trembled like worms wriggling as he barely got his hand to his cut-open throat when Nines gently pressed a free hand against the man’s rising limb.

He shook his head as their eyes met. Something passed between them, and Nines gave him a cold glance while his LED light remained as red as the blood that was escaping from the gash in his throat.

Brown eyes slowly faded to grey as the man’s face and skin grew pale. Nines didn’t blink, not wanting to miss a moment of it as he held the man close while his knees caved in, and his body grew stiff.

He gave out one final struggle, urging his hand forward in a last attempt at pushing away Nines’.

More blood spurted forward, and he dropped his hand and it hung limply to his side while Nines hugged him to his chest. He coughed, gagged, choked, and was soon garbling on his own blood.

The sounds of his life slowly ebbing away warmed Nines up, and he felt the painful, freezing sensation seep out of his human skin as he embraced the man. It was all thanks to him that he was now feeling ‘safe’ once again, and a sense peace unlike any peace he’d ever known before.

This man was his gift, and he delivered himself right into his hands…

Blood soaked and stained his bare chest, and the coppery, crimson scent of it was enough to make him sick with frenzy. His nostrils flared as he took in the odor, and he closed his eyes while letting the man slowly drop to the floor.

The knife still dangled in his hand as he stood above the lifeless corpse, eyes closed as blood caked every inch of his skin from the bottom of his chin, all the way down to his abdomen.

Nines had been lost in his own world of euphoria when he heard a surprised gasp behind in the dining room.

He opened both his eyes as he turned his neck and took a glance over his shoulder.

His keeper was still on the floor, but he’d sat up with his knees bent beneath him. He had the most amused expression on his face. He looked so proud…

His eyes glowed and glimmered with happiness and joy that nearly made him appear innocent as the kitchen lights and sunshine from the windows reflected slowly on him. Nines tilted his head down at the man while giving him a blank, cold stare.

He slowly turned to face the man, and the knife fell from his hand. It clattered against the floor, sliding a little in the growing pool of blood that was covering Nines’ feet.

It felt so warm…

Blue eyes captured the sight, and his keeper ran a hand through his hair as his eyes turned slightly pink and watery. He was still bleeding from his nose, and as the droplets trickled down slowly, he caught them with the tip of his tongue. He withdrew his tongue deep inside his mouth, and he let out a deep, pleased sigh as he tasted his own blood.

His tongue slid around in his mouth, gliding over his teeth and cheeks as he kept his eyes trained on Nines.

He threw his head back as he studied the android from head-to-toe, and the first of many tears fell from his eyes. They crashed down onto the floor in little ‘plips’ and ‘plops’, barely audible to the human ears.

Nines could hear it, however, and he simply stared while the mass of blood began covering the entire kitchen floor.

It was a red sea…

His keeper sighed up at him as his jaw fell open slowly, “You’re so beautiful…”

Nines drowned the rest of his words out as he chose instead to turn around and study the scene beneath his feet. He felt like a King; towering above the lands that were his mighty kingdom as he reigned in his castle high in the clouds.

He was above the Earth; he was like an angel…

Deep laughter sounded from behind him, but it was the sound of pure satisfaction. Sniffles followed it, and he knew the monster was crying tears of joy.

“I fucking love you.”

_And I love you…_

And this was the way it was always going to be…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case it is unclear for anyone, Nines actually yet again did what Gavin does: ‘death is a release; not a punishment’. He set the man free, in his own mind, because he knew there was no other way he could save Connor. He was absolutely doing this for Connor, but I’m not sure if that’s ALL he’s getting out of it.  
> Also, he reacted in the way he did because he is suffering from PTSD after being raped (as the flashbacks implied). He’s not in the right state of mind, so that’s basically what’s enabling him to fall into the deep, dark rabbit hole.  
> P.S. don’t ask me how androids suffer from PTSD -_- *I guess it’s the same way that androids in the game don’t need to eat, drink water, or don’t NEED to have sex, yet they want these freedoms and concepts that are HUMAN based? Because game logic, so SHHHH*


	15. Courting in Ebony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: ORAL SEX THAT TURNS ROUGH*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Music: 'Wonderful, Wonderful' 1957  
> Song Credit goes to Johnny Mathis. First heard this beauty in the DLC of Bioshock Infinite (Burial at Sea, Episode one)  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N7wr2FBxcyI

The DPD was buzzing with activity that morning. Connor had been rather overwhelmed with tasks, and he had no idea what to do first as a list of orders and directives flooded his system while he sat in his chair at his desk and tried organizing them all in ‘high priority’ and ‘low priority’.

The Detroit Reaper case was still at the very forefront of his mind, and he tried highlighting the most important bits of evidence he and Hank had collected and gathered in the last week.

His new ‘friendship’ mug was on his lap as he worked silently, and he had almost been onto something interesting, when he felt something land on his desk in front of him. Whatever it was sailed past his nose, and he opened his eyes and looked down to see a card right before his eyes.

It was a little white card with a bear and a dog sitting together, and they held a ribbon between their necks that was purple, and the letters on it were white as they spelled and read out:

**I’m Sorry**

He looked up from the card to see Hank Anderson to the side of his desk, playing with his ponytail as he grumbled something under his breath.

Connor gripped his mug, and when Hank saw it, he visibly stiffened and glared down as if it had some profanity written on it, instead.

Connor poked the card with a pinky finger, “Is this your way of offering an apology?”

Hank grumbled, “Yeah,” he shifted his feet, “I wanted to say I’m sorry for leaving you on your own back there…I guess I’m not the best partner to work with sometimes, huh?”

The android had no opinion on it, but before he could offer something to say, Hank pointed down at the mug in his lap, “The hell is that, anyway?”

Connor cradled the mug to his chest, as if Hank wanted to grab it and throw it across the bullpen until it smashed against a wall.

“My friend gave me this!” he hissed possessively as he sat straight in his chair.

Hank raised an eyebrow, “Oh yeah? Your friend got a name, Connor?”

The android’s dark brown eyes held fury within their depths, “Of course he does!”

The older Lieutenant huffed as he sat down in his own chair at his desk. He just crossed his arms as he tilted his head at Connor while staring straight ahead at him, “You’re always cradling that damn mug like it’s your life source…”

“What does it matter?” Connor hissed softly, trying to rack Hank’s brains for once. It seemed as if it was more than a case of the Lieutenant waking up on the wrong side of the bed this morning…

“Do you sing it to sleep or something, too?” Hank rolled his eyes and shook his head.

What was Hank’s problem all of a sudden? Connor didn’t understand it, and his LED light turned yellow and then red as he tried scanning Hank to determine what the cause and the root of the issue was. He had no idea, even as skilled as he was in reading human behavior.

All he knew was that something was bothering Hank to the point where his stress levels were very high…

Hank waved a hand down at him, “Forget it,” he stood up suddenly, taking a step towards Connor’s desk again, “it’s not my concern anyway, so why the fuck should I care?”

Connor had to agree, “Yes, why do you?”

This really sent Hank off the edge. He strode up right into Connor’s chair, bending down as he jabbed his nose with his pointed index finger.

His grey eyes glowed dangerously, and it seemed as if his patience was running out.

“Listen here, Connor,” he hissed while a few officers and detectives walked by and gaped at them openly, “you’re going to-”

Captain Fowler’s office door flew open a second into Hank’s statement, and the angry man stuck his head out of his office as he waved over at Hank and Connor as if he was having an emergency.

“ANDERSON! CONNOR!” he made jerking motions with his head as his eyes squinted down at them, “The Reaper’s on the phone! GET IN HERE, NOW!”

It was a high priority, now. They could argue about whatever they wanted to afterwards, if possible.

They dropped everything and Connor immediately put his mug on his desk as he tore after Hank. They made their way inside the office, and Captain Fowler placed an index finger on his lips, signifying for them to stay silent.

Hank closed the office door gently while he stood before the desk next to Connor.

Captain Fowler’s phone was in the middle of the desk, and he had put the Reaper on speaker as he glared down at the phone. His chest rose and fell quickly, and he placed a hand over his mouth and nose as he fought and struggled hard to remain silent and calm.

The disguised, deep, robotic voice blared out, and it seemed to suffocate the entire office at once. Hank and Connor both recoiled when they heard it.

“You better start lookin’ for me harder,” the Reaper growled deeply at them in a malicious tone of voice that teased on the edge of playful, “or you may as well give up…”

Captain Fowler was trying to time the call, hoping to trace it, but the Reaper spat out the rest of his words in a hurry, “Already my influence has captured another…the body count will grow, he-hehe-hehe.”

The call was cut off, and the dial tone was heard in the office for many minutes. Over and over again, Connor heard the strange laugh the Detroit Reaper always had to his calls. This wasn’t the first time he’d heard it, and he simply stared up at their superior.

Captain Fowler was enraged. In a split second, he yanked the office phone up in both hands, and he slammed it down on the floor. It smashed in half, and he kicked the pieces around the office. The bits crashed in every direction, and it wasn’t enough; Fowler was starting to grab one of the chairs that was sitting before his office desk.

“Jeffrey! Stop!!” Hank grabbed his arms, and Connor stood back gaping as Captain Fowler and Hank struggled. Hank eventually moved Fowler to sit down on the seat of the chair as opposed to flinging it somewhere at the glass walls, and it was a relief that Fowler sat down and held his head in his hands as he growled down at the floor in rage.

“I’m getting sick of hearing that stupid laugh he always does!!”

Connor had to agree, and Hank did as well as he nodded, “Jeffrey, we’re trying our best, here!”

Their Captain pointed a finger at the floor, “That son of a bitch must know we’re slipping! He knows we can’t do shit! And he’s laughing!!!!!!”

Hank tried calming him down, but it was no good; Fowler was up in minutes, and he threw papers and folders off his desk as he kicked at the furniture in the office. Now Connor also had to get involved, so he gently held a hand on Captain Fowler’s back, only making physical contact when the man had rested against a filing cabinet to catch his breath before destroying the rest of the office.

“Sir…” Connor began in a soft, gentle tone, and it made Fowler whip around as he glared at Connor, and then Hank.

“Both of you,” he nodded at the door, “leave me alone for a moment.”

Hank took a tentative step towards Fowler, “Jeffrey, come on now-”

“GET OUT!!!!!!”

At the sound of Fowler’s booming voice, Hank leapt, and he spun Connor around as they stepped carefully around the broken office phone and exited. As soon as they were out of Fowler’s office, the blinds were pulled down, and Captain Fowler had shielded himself inside. He was more than likely going to spend the entire week like that, if Connor wagered an intelligent, accurate guess...

Hank sighed as he and Connor tried avoiding the curious, penetrating eyes of the rest of the precinct as they sat at their desks. Connor’s eyes fell to his mug, and he reached for it in a hurry. It was almost turning into something like a ‘security blanket’ for him, and he closed his eyes and held it to his chest for a while as Hank sat before him and pressed a hand against his brow and forehead.

Eventually, everyone lost interest in what they were doing, and slowly, the sounds of activity flooded the precinct. After almost an hour spent in shared silence, Hank finally looked up at Connor and glared as if he had done or said something terrible to him.

“That fucking laugh…” he shook his head and shivered, “he’s really a psychopath…”

“Gavin Reed,” Connor suddenly said randomly, and Hank sat up as he stretched his neck up forward.

“What did you say?”

Connor looked at the mug, turning it over a few times in his hands as he smiled down at it with a goofy expression, “My friend…his name’s Gavin Reed…”

Hank facepalmed, “Connor, you need to really focus…” he grumbled, but said no more on the subject. He simply turned on his laptop and Connor saw the shadows and images of whatever was displayed on Hank’s screen bouncing around his face as his eyes studied the screen before him.

With his LED light spinning yellow, Connor made a little mental note to give Gavin a ring after their work day was over.

He could hardly wait to hear his friend’s wise words of wisdom once more…

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

_Sometimes we walk, hand in hand by the sea,_

_And we breathe in the cool salty air!_

_You turn to me, with a kiss in your eyes,_

_And my heart feels a thrill beyond compare!_

Nines was seated at the dining room table, covering his eyes with his hands as his keeper hand instructed him to do. He had been alone in the room for almost twenty minutes while his captor brought him his ‘surprise’…

Something had shifted and changed between them ever since Nines committed his first murder. His keeper treated it like an initiation reward, and Nines could hear him humming and singing to the song playing in the kitchen as matches were lit.

What was he doing?

The android pushed down his curiosity as he patiently waited, a small smile tugging at the corners of his face.

They’d cleaned up the kitchen until late in the day, and headed off to shower together. Luckily, the man hadn’t made any move to touch Nines; he simply watched the android in awe as he stood transfixed while Nines threw his head back, eyes tightly closed as he ran his hands through his wet hair and washed the blood off his torso.

He felt so good after he was cleaned, and his keeper had worked on his ‘surprise’ slowly.

_Then your lips cling to mine, it’s wonderful, wonderful,_

_Oh, so wonderful, my love…_

“Almost done, babe!!” his keeper called out to him, and a few moments later, the double doors slid open.

“You better not be peekin’!”

Nines closed his eyes and smiled. He wasn’t, but he could smell wax burning as his keeper approached the long table.

He set something down while the music played on, and he snickered, “Okay, open your eyes, babe!”

_Sometimes we stand, on the top of a hill,_

_And we gaze at the earth and the sky!_

Nines glanced down at the circular cake sitting in front of him. It was white with chocolate and strawberry icing. Berries sat on the top of it and in the center, and it made him smile immediately.

His keeper slid a butter knife in his hands, “Wanna make the first cut?”

Of course he did.

He gripped the knife and cut a perfectly sliced piece for himself, and one for his captor. Dishes were passed around as his keeper sat close beside him and took a bite.

Icing and chocolate melted in his mouth, and he closed his eyes and hummed deeply in satisfaction, “Hmmm…”

_I turn to you, and you melt in my arms,_

_Here we are, Darling, only you and I!_

_What a moment to share, it’s wonderful, wonderful,_

_Oh, so wonderful, my love…_

Nines stared at the man’s white-chocolate lips. His jaw moved and teeth bit through the bread of the cake as he licked away icing. It was a wonderful, beautiful sight, and the android dipped a finger in his own icing as he brought it up to his lips. His tongue darted out slowly, and he tasted the icing.

It was pure cream and sugar, and it made him feel light all over, and dizzy.

_The world is full of wondrous things, it’s true,_

_But they wouldn’t have much meaning without you!_

He began tasting the rest of the cake slowly, not really eating it, but not letting it go to waste, either. His keeper had worked so very hard on it, and it shouldn’t go to waste at all…

The man beside him had already grabbed another slice, and Nines removed the candles as he first blew them out. Their smoke and scents danced in the air above, and Nines watched the smoky serenade for a while as his keeper purred at him in sheer delight.

“I’m so happy…”

_Some quiet evening, I sit by your side,_

_And we’re lost in a world of our own…_

He was as well, but he couldn’t voice it properly as he sat in his chair and rested a hand on the dining table. It felt so strong and sturdy beneath his palm, and he turned to look at his captor.

Their eyes met for a moment, and the man flashed him a small smile, “Babe, what’re you thinkin’ about?”

_I feel the glow of your arms open love,_

_I’m aware of the treasure that I hold!_

Nines leaned against him while speaking softly, “A very important subject…”

“Hmm?”

He had the man’s interest and attention, which made him feel aware as he shifted closer, “We need to get rid of the body.”

_And I say to myself: “It’s wonderful, wonderful,_

_Oh, so wonderful, my love!”_

White teeth gleamed in the chandelier lights above them, and his keeper almost moaned in pride and joy once he heard what Nines had said. He leaned his head against Nines’ shoulder as he pet the android’s arm.

“What did you have in mind?”

Nines turned and looked at the fireplace a few feet away by the liquor cabinet.

He was nudged by his keeper, “Should we bury him? Or burn him?”

Nines zeroed in on the fireplace, and his LED light spun blue. He’d never been more sure of anything in his entire creation, and he stretched his neck up high as he smiled at his keeper.

“Burn him.”

_And I say to myself: “It’s wonderful, wonderful,_

_Oh, so wonderful, my love!”_

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

The moment they’d dumped the bones into the hearth of the fireplace and lit the match, the fires burned high and the wood creaked and groaned as the bones rested overtop of it and slowly became engulfed in the bright, orange-yellow flames.

Nines sat down on the carpet a few feet away from the fireplace, simply watching in silence while rubbing his chin. His keeper sat next to him, tossing in one bone-at-a-time and gave enough time for them to roast and turn dark brown. The flames ate them up, and they soon began crisping and crackling as they shrank into tiny bits.

“He’ll be nothing but powder, and ash, soon,” his keeper announced as the fireplace crackled loudly and grew high in the air. The smoke billowed above, clouding the dining room slowly as they sat and trained their eyes on the sight before them.

Nines nodded, not blinking once, “So he will.”

His keeper hummed to himself, “But this is life; we rose out of the dust, and one day, we shall return to it…”

Nines turned his eyes over to the man seated beside him, and he studied him silently for a moment before quirking up an eyebrow. He gave the man a blank stare, “How poetic.”

His keeper turned to him suddenly, clutching the bag of bones to his chest as his eyes glowed with excitement and zeal, “How did you feel when you plunged the knife deep into his body, babe?”

Nines shifted back, but remained silent.

“Hmm?” his keeper scooted closer, “how did it feel?”

It felt…

Rapturous.

“Beautiful,” Nines spoke out softly.

His keeper was frozen for a moment, and he then laughed and cackled like a child as he threw in the rest of the bones.

“He-hehe-hehe!”

Nines smiled as he watched the bones breaking in half once the fire had burned them right down to the marrow. It smelled foul, but he didn’t mind it as his keeper rolled up his shirt and flung it backwards.

“It’s so fuckin’ hot…”

Nines nodded, “It does feel stuffy in here…”

His keeper pounced on him suddenly, and they crashed down onto the carpet.

“No…” his eyes bore down into the android’s beneath him, and he stuck out his tongue as he gave Nines’ chin a slow, long lick, trailing the wetness down to the center of his throat.

“I mean your first killing; it’s so fuckin’ sexy, babe…”

Perhaps it was, but Nines didn’t feel he could identify with that. He studied his keeper lingering above him, and in an instant, fingers were tugging at his black dress pants. He looked down between them, and he saw the man pushing down his pants. He lifted his hips up with both hands as he brought Nines’ pants down to his ankles.

The android gave him a cold glare, but his captor simply kissed his cheek as he rubbed Nines’ cheeks softly and sweetly with a few warm fingers. He practically glowed in the light and shadows of the fireplace…one minute, he seemed to be like a demon; menacing and foreboding, and then the next minute, he’d turned into a shapeshifter, and resembled a caring, compassionate, empathetic companion as he rubbed Nines’ abdomen and stomach.

“Let me show you how fuckin’ hot I find it, babe…”

Nines watched as he slid down his body, holding one of his hands in his own, while pulling down his underwear.

He was exposed in the heat of the room, and the smallest of touches was delivered to his erect cock. The hand there around it simply squeezed him for a brief moment, and then let go. Nines nearly whimpered at the loss of contact.

A warm, wet pressure was wrapped around the head of his penis, suddenly, and Nines closed his eyes slowly as his head fell back and he gave in to the amazing feeling. The mouth worked him harder and faster, the head attached to the lips bobbing up and down sensually as Nines lay flat and still on his back.

He draped a hand over his forehead, and then he freed his other hand his keeper was holding onto. It naturally wove its way into the man’s thick hair, and Nines massaged and tenderly ran his fingers along the man’s scalp as he sucked him deeply.

A tongue sloppily worked him into a frenzy, tapping along the slit, and it was driving him mad. He wanted more of that feeling, so he rolled his hips as he chased after the delicious feeling. His captor happily obliged; tongue fleeting and flickering like a little butterfly on and off, bouncing along the opening.

Nines felt himself being milked and sucked, and he relished in the feeling of it as he enjoyed himself for once. All his frustrations and worries were momentarily abandoned as the fireplace roared and more smoke rose up above their heads.

His penis was moved against the back of the man’s throat, slamming back and forth repeatedly, and his keeper emitted deep, low growls. It sent heavy, deep vibrations running throughout the android’s lower body, and his mouth fell open while his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

His legs fell open involuntarily as his hips arched forward. He knew he was thrusting against the tightness and wetness around the head of his cock, and he heard light choking and gagging noises immediately. He didn’t care.

The sounds were obscenely loud in the room as his hard prick slid in and out of the tight channel formed around him. Heated skin met his own as his hips jutted forward, and he gave a few powerful thrusts as he slammed against his keeper’s chin.

Nines’ hand gripped the back of the man’s head, and he roughly began fucking his mouth as his hips rammed up back and forth against the man’s nose, now. His balls hit his captor’s chin, and he loved every bit of the sensations he felt as the man worked him into a feverish orgasm within minutes.

His body shook, buzzed, and he was on the edge. He yanked the man’s hair roughly as he bit his tongue, careful not to make loud noises as he hissed through his teeth.

Nines seized up, and he yanked the mouth off his cock as he made sure to cum all over his captor’s eyes and face as best he could. He looked down and smirked coldly when he saw that his aim had been perfect; he landed his shots in the center of the man’s closed right-eyelid.

He was smiling back at Nines with his left-eye open, and he giggled as he sat up on his knees. His nipples were deep pink and red, and he gave one of them a pinch and tug as Nines’ essence dripped down from his eyelid to his cheek. It drizzled down to his lip, and the man’s pink tongue poked out and caught it before it could fall down onto the floor.

Nines frowned at him as he watched the man wipe off the rest of his wetness off his face, and he collected the rest of it on his fingers while licking it up as if it were the most delicious taste in the world. His lips smacked against his fingers, and he blushed as he looked at Nines the entire time he cleaned his digits off.

“Not a drop was wasted,” Nines pointed out in a huff as he rested a hand flat on his chest.

His keeper slowly smiled, “Now you’re finally lookin’ at me.”

Nines tilted his head up at him, “Hmm?”

“Your eyes…” he pointed out as he licked his lips one more time while the fire burned brightly a few feet away from them.

“You can see me…”

_Finally._

“Finally.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, you'll have to excuse me now, because I need to go take a long, cold shower and ponder as to what the shit I'm doing with my life.


	16. Child of Darkness and Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: IMPLIED CHILDHOOD ABUSE AND TRAUMA, AND MORE FUCKED UP SHIT. I SWEAR TO SHIT, DON'T READ THIS CRAP IF YOU ARE EASILY DISTURBED OR OFFENDED*

 

Nines watched as his keeper held out a bowl outside in the backyard of the house. The bowl was held up like an offering to the gods above; suppliant hands surrounding it as his captor stared up at the rainy, cloudy skies above. He was collecting the rainwater into the bowl as Nines stood inside from the doorway, simply watching him.

He was entirely naked as he got down to his knees and twisted his body around in a circle while he gathered as much of the cold rainwater as he could. He moved and twisted like a serpent; lithe, coordinated, and mesmerizing. His entire body dripped with the rain, the drops sliding and covering his skin in a sheen of cleanliness and earth. Eventually, he turned and looked over at Nines observing him, and he smiled.

“It’s almost ready…”

It was.

Nines still held back as his keeper practically danced and covered all areas of the backyard, his knees and thighs soon covered in water, but also mud. He stared down at it himself as he pressed and slid a hand against his muddy thigh.

More mud came away into his hand, and he gaped at it, wriggling his fingers as he threw his head back and laughed without a care in the world while the rain poured down on him harder and harder.

Deep rumbling thunder echoed far above, but there was no lightning as the man bent down and gathered as much mud as he could and dropped it into the bowl with the rainwater.

Nines saw the raindrops plopping upwards whenever more piles of mud slid from the man’s palm and fingers down into the bowl. He kept grabbing more fistfuls of the stuff, and when he’d felt he’d collected enough, he threw his head back and washed his face with the rain beating down on his head.

His hands were still muddy, but they traveled across his forehead and smoothed out his already-wet hair, pushing it back. Bits and traces of the dark mud stuck to his skin and scalp, and Nines was amused as he tilted his head at him, but didn’t step out to join him.

The man shook his head like a dog would shake itself to get water out of its fur, and he rose to his feet as he walked back over towards Nines and entered the house. He stepped around Nines as he got down on his knees, tucking his legs beneath himself as he placed the bowl down on the dirty, wet floor right before himself.

Nines stared at the outside world for a moment before he shut the old door on it and turned to join his keeper.

On the other side of the door, the rain beat harder, and his captor stuck out a hand at him to stop him before he got down beside him, “No,” he looked over at the door again, “leave it open…”

Nines smiled, “Why?”

“I like the sound of the rain.”

It was such a simple answer, but it was the truth. He appreciated the truth.

Nines opened the door again, welcoming the rain inside the house as the wind blew it in their direction. The water tapped and fell against the old, wooden floors, and Nines peered down as he saw his reflection a hundred times within many of the raindrops there beneath him.

Each of the drops held a different version of himself. In some, he seemed ‘angry’, almost glaring back at himself as he remembered what he’d done to the human that had arrived at the house in need of help. In other reflections of himself displayed back to him, he was a lost, little innocent child, yelling and screaming at himself to get out while he still had a chance. In others, he was sad, alone, and forgotten by everyone he held dear to him in the DPD…

There wasn’t a single version of himself he was happy or content with, and the longer he stared down at the floor, the angrier he felt.

He soon began to resent himself as his captor dipped his fingers inside the bowl containing the muddy rainwater. The man stared back up at Nines and smiled at him for a moment.

Feeling he was being watched, Nines shifted his eyes over to the man. They exchanged wide smiles before his keeper tapped the area of the floor next to his thigh, “Sit down.”

He obeyed, knees folding and bending as he sat down beside the nude man. His keeper gave him a little grin before turning back to his muddy-water. He mixed the contents with his middle and index fingers, and Nines was mesmerized as his eyes and head followed the circular, spinning motions while the rain and wind grew a little softer and quieter outside.

The man hummed as he too looked down at the brown water, “Sometimes,” he began in a small half-chuckle, “this is gonna sound really silly, Plastic,” he sighed, “but sometimes when I’m here with you like this, I feel like I’m close to my parents again…”

Now was the best chance to remain absolutely silent while the man opened up. He knew he never was going to get another chance, so Nines sat back and watched as his keeper played with the muddy water while his eyes slowly rose up, but he was looking across the room at something random while he got lost in his thoughts.

“I feel like I’m a kid again; playing here in my grandparent’s home…” he flicked the water over the surface of the bowl, “we used to take trips here every summer as a family.”

Nines felt the rain hitting his back from the open door, though he didn’t move an inch.

His keeper suddenly turned and smiled warmly at him. It was the strangest sight to see; a cold face of a monster that knew only how to take life away, but the eyes staring back at him now were that of a human…

He didn’t know what to do with it, so he merely gave him a blank look.

His keeper carried on as he stared at random objects in the room, and it occurred to Nines that this man wasn’t acting, now; he really was uncomfortable.

“My grandfather used to take me out back in the woods around the area, and we would hunt rabbits, squirrels, and deer together,” he explained as he fisted a large clump of the mud, “just small, meager things, y’know?”

A sigh, “Just a boy and his grandfather spendin’ quality time together…”

Nines tilted his head at him as he saw the man’s knuckles slowly turning white as his fingers dug into the mud roughly.

“But then,” he shook, and his eyes grew wide as his pupils dilated a little, “he one night brought home a hooker…”

The mud churned a little, pieces of it breaking off as he tightened his grip on it, “He brought her over even though my grandmother and parents were asleep upstairs…” he inhaled sharply, “I didn’t hear the commotion at first, but I was a kid; a light, little sleeper, and one curious little fucker…”

Nines watched the mud falling away, turning the water darker and darker while the rain went from being silent, to a little louder now.

His keeper paused as he shook, though Nines suspected it wasn’t from being cold or naked.

“I used to look up a lot to my grandfather, fuck, I liked the son of a bitch way more than my own father at times…” his nostrils flared, and Nines saw his chest rising and falling as his hands tightened around the clump of mud.

“—but that night, he knew I was there with him, and while I stood a few feet away from where we are right now, my grandfather fucked the hooker right in front of me…” he threw his head back and laughed, even though it really wasn’t funny or amusing to him.

Nines watched in silence, still.

“I wasn’t even twelve years old at the time, and I thought they were fightin’ or somethin’, but he was definitely fuckin’ her right in front of me.”

One of his hands moved to grip the rim of the bowl, and he squeezed it as if he could bend it and reshape it while Nines stared at his face. It had gone very cold and menacing once again, though the smile was still upon his lips as he spoke on.

“Shit man,” he sighed, “she probably wasn’t even eighteen herself, and my grandfather was almost sixty-four at the time…but he fucked her, gagged her, bound her, and when he was done…” he breathed quickly as his eyes darted around the room wildly, not looking for anything in particular.

Nines saw his fingers desperately clinging to the bowl, and due to the water around it, his fingers and hand slipped back into the bowl with a little ‘sploosh’. His eyes grew red and teary as he licked his lips and trembled.

He was treading along the path of revealing a very uncomfortable, dark territory and memory, and his body seized up as he clenched his teeth tightly together and growled out: “He fuckin’ knew I was watchin’, because when he was done with her, he turned and looked at me as I was hiding in the darkness, and he asked me: ‘how was it’?”

Nines heard him cackling as he punched a fist down into the bowl, the sound muffled by the mud, “He asked me: ‘how was it’? He asked a little kid…a _kid_!!”

He knew that this wasn’t the end of the horrible memory, but he let the man speak and explain more.

“He bashed her over the skull with a brick when she saw I was there, too,” he shifted and shivered, his teeth clattering together loudly in the silence of the room.

“—he told me that the only way he would forgive me was if I ‘got rid’ of her…”

He understood the implications of what that meant, but he didn’t interrupt, not even when the first tear fell from his keeper’s right eye, and dripped down below into the bowl beneath him.

“I had no fuckin’ choice; he wouldn’t let me leave until I ‘got rid’ of her! My grandfather handed me the fuckin’ knife and told me where to cut her…” his tears poured down like the rain outside, now, and he sniffled and shook badly.

“—he showed me how to cut her up and told me it wasn’t any different than cutting up a rabbit we hunted together.”

Nines looked down into the bowl as the man held up a clump of mud, letting it then drip out of his fingers and down again.

“She was gone that night, but I didn’t kill her!” he looked down at the floor and shook his head as he breathed sharply, “I didn’t kill her; my grandfather had bashed her skull in when he hit her first! She wasn’t even breathing when I c-cut her up!”

He rocked forwards and backwards on his knees as he sniffled, “He’d done it so many times before! He took me out back, and we walked together in the dark of the night right into the open fields…”

Nines could picture it now; it was the same area all the bones were dumped and found in. A young version of this beast before him was there once, long ago, but he was accompanied by an older, more experienced monster with silver hair…

They held hands as the older one pushed back the dirt, and plenty of dismembered, rotten human parts and flesh rose up from the dirt. The bodies attacked and clung onto the scared little boy, and he was screaming with all his might as his eyes widened in fear. He soon was dragged down into the dirt, slowly drowning, slowly suffocating as the darkness encased him.

The silver-haired monster merely laughed as he offered the innocent child to the monsters rotting below the earth, and they’d devoured him and spat him back out into… _this_ …

“I saw their eyes starin’ up at me like I was fuckin’ responsible for puttin’ each and every one of them down there to begin with…” his rocking motions were growing out of control and more erratic.

“—like, ‘why didn’t you help us?’ ‘Why didn’t you get help?’ ‘Why didn’t you fuckin’ tell anyone!!!”

Nines watched as he roared and closed his eyes, shaking his head wildly, as if trying to banish the memories and thoughts entirely from his mind.

It was never that simple…

He breathed in sharply and slowly, eyes opening up as he threw his head back and looked up at the ceiling, “Now you know…”

Yes, a child was always brought into the world as an innocent. A child’s trust was pure, clean, and radiant. It was up to adults what to do with that trust, and it seemed as if the person who this man had once loved and trusted the most had betrayed him first.

But Nines still didn’t pity him; not one little bit.

His keeper’s hands shook, and he forced himself to tighten them up as he swallowed and breathed in deeply. Once he was calm, he looked down at the floor, and then his eyes skated up to Nines.

“That was once my secret,” he snickered, “and now it’s yours as well…now every single person who was murdered and slaughtered won’t come for me alone in the night to haunt me; they will come after you now, too.”

The damn beast from hell. What a monster.

Nines frowned darkly and deeply at him when he realized he’d passed on the burden and pain of his guilt in much the same way his grandfather had to him when he wasn’t as ‘sullied’ and blackened. Perhaps this was how madness and insanity spread; it was passed along and down from people close to each other.

Evil.

His keeper continued, “We’re now linked through brute violence, but that doesn’t mean we have to be violent towards each other…”

None of what he’d said to him was a lie, but Nines couldn’t tell how much of it was exaggerated or falsified either. All he had was the steady pouring of the rain behind his back, and he turned and smiled at the outside world.

It was all so green…

A hand suddenly clung to his own, and he stared down at it.

“Take your clothes off…”

He shifted backwards, and so did his keeper. Their eyes remained on each other as Nines smoothly took off his belt, letting it clatter down to the floor while his keeper dug his fingers inside the muddy water. As the android stared at him, he let his index finger trail downwards from his neck, all the way to the back of his hand. He’d painted himself with the mud as he hummed softly.

Nines’ pants fell to the floor, and he stepped out of them slowly while keeping his eyes on the man before him. He watched in silent awe as the man then dipped his fingers back inside the bowl and trailed the same shape and in the same way he’d done so over his left hand. The mud leaked and trailed over his skin, and he turned his hands upwards towards the ceiling as he repeatedly painted his skin with it.

It slowly was drying against the air, but Nines continued stripping, making sure to never stop watching the man.

As every article of clothing was slowly removed, the keeper placed more and more mud on himself. He traced his nipples with it in little circles, and his hands grabbed fistfuls of it as he patted it down over his chest, abdomen, and thighs. He softened and smoothed it out, and within minutes, he was covered practically everywhere in the stuff.

Nines was now as naked as he was, and he sat back on his heels as he stared at the man with curious eyes.

The mud-covered keeper smiled at him, and his white teeth contrasted strangely with his mud-soaked face. He beckoned Nines over with a finger, and the android peered down into the bowl. Most of the water and mud was gone, but there was still some left…

Just enough…

A few fingers dipped inside the bowl once again, and when they resurfaced, Nines found the mud-caked fingers a few inches away from his face. The mud dribbled and dripped down by his knees, and when he shifted, they landed perfectly on his body.

His captor sighed and then groaned as he spread his fingers and simply let them hover between Nines’ cheeks, his palm a few inches away from hitting the bridge of his nose.

“Life can be as beautiful as you want it to be,” he whispered, and Nines closed his eyes.

“—or it could be your own living hell…”

The fingers gently rested on his cheeks, and his captor held his hand up and paused. Nines opened his eyes wide, and they gazed into each other’s eyes for a long time before white teeth flashed at him.

“Do you think we’re in hell?”

Nines smiled back, “Only if you want us to be.”

A deep, throaty groan hit his audio receptors then, and the fingers slid down his cheeks. They dragged the mud down until the fingers stopped at his jaw. After hesitating for a moment, his keeper snickered softly as he traced the android’s strong, prominent jaw with his wet fingers.

“Fuckin’ beautiful…” his captor could barely contain the gasps and small whines that escaped his lips as he pressed a hand against Nines’ eyelids, gently closing them.

“I can’t stand it when you look at me…your eyes…” his breath hitched in his throat, and it sounded like he was going to break out in a sob. He kept his hand on Nines’ closed eyes, slowly and carefully reaching down for the android’s hand that was resting on the floor by his side.

Nines felt the man placing his hand up to his face, and he knew he was mirroring and mimicking his motions as he lay Nines’ large hand against his heated flesh. Nines felt the thin layer of the skin of the man’s eyelids press down as he held his hand there on his face.

They were now in darkness; shielded from each other, but also exposed and so open…so vulnerable.

A soft gasp hit his ears, cutting through the air, “I love you…”

He snarled when he heard the words, but the man couldn’t see it, “We’re beautiful…”

Nines had to agree, even though he couldn’t see or admire his handiwork, yet. The hand on his eyelids fell away, and he removed his own immediately from the man’s forehead and eyes as well. He just allowed the man to dabble his hands into the bowl again and he painted Nines’ own skin in random patterns and styles, his fingers grazing past anything along the way, though he wasn’t aiming for a specific body part.

He wasn’t as heavily covered in mud as his keeper, and soon, only a little puddle of murky water was at the bottom of the bowl.

His keeper’s fingers and fingernails softly caressed his skin as he ran his hands sensually up and down his chest and stomach. Nines peered over into the bowl, but he saw only murk and grime. He frowned when he was unable to see anything, and his keeper grabbed his hands gently in his own.

The mud felt so rough against his skin, but Nines enjoyed the contrast as he watched his keeper nuzzling his nose into the palm of his hand. Like a feline, he rubbed his mud-caked face against his skin while cooing softly as he shut his eyes in sheer enjoyment.

Nines smiled.

Blue depths met his own, the darkness enveloping him and trapping him as his keeper grinned playfully at him.

He seemed cheerful, and he whispered against the android’s palm: “Do you like me now?”

Nines only offered him his silence, the rain beating and slamming down over the windows and rooftop as they looked into each other’s eyes.

“Do you like me now?” he repeated it again, this time a little softer.

Nines leaned in close to him and took a deep whiff. He smelled dirt, mud, the earth, the rain, and sweat. The odors all drove him mad, and he closed his eyes as he took another deep breath.

A hand gently rested on his cheek as his keeper spoke even softer than before.

“Do you like me, _now_?”  Something had changed in his eyes…gone was the beast, and instead, something perhaps… ‘gentle’ and more human was there in its place.

They held the silence that had formed between them for as long as they could, before it was unbearable.

The floorboards creaked and groaned, and Nines stared down at them while his captor pushed the bowl aside with a free hand while stroking his cheeks with the pad of his thumb.

His eyes looked so pained, yet sincere…

His jaw quivered as tears once again formed in the depths of his eyes as his eyes flickered all over the android’s body.

“I need you to fuck me, now.”

The request had been so loud and brazen in the room, and Nines merely stared back in a frozen state. But he didn’t need the man to repeat his words; he was happy to oblige and provide.

He wasted no time on pushing him down onto his back as he advanced above him and leaned down, grabbing his cock in a hand as he studied and stared down at it. It wasn’t covered in mud, thankfully, but it seemed to anger him.

Firm strokes were delivered to his keeper’s length, and in a few seconds, that cock turned very red at the tip and weighed heavily in his hand. Resuming his stroking motions, Nines spread the man’s legs as he trailed his fingers along the insides of his thighs.

His fingers had oddly been wet from sliding them along the soaked floorboards, and he used that to his advantage as he slicked his opening up as best he could. When two fingers entered the man beneath him, Nines trembled. He was still as loose as before when he’d first fucked him with his hand.

He wasn’t dry this time, thankfully, and Nines leaned down and kissed his collarbone a few times while he stroked and pumped the man with his hands. His lazily dipped his fingers in and out of his body as he licked and tasted him. The rainwater was only marginally there, majority of what he gathered and tasted being only sweat, salt, and earth.

It was delectable.

He’d been thoroughly stretched, but he hissed for more as he clung to the android’s chest and scratched him a bit roughly.

Not caring about the damage to his skin, Nines guided his own arousal in a hand while shoving the man’s legs further apart to make more room for himself. Another hand gripped the back of his dark brown hair as he yanked his keeper’s head back so they were staring directly at each other.

A shift of his hips at a particular angle, then, and Nines leaned down and sank his teeth violently into the man’s throat as he slammed into him.

Whether his keeper was able to tolerate both sources of pain delivered to him or not wasn’t of importance to Nines as he began hammering inside him. He didn’t care how the man felt as he tugged at his hair and definitely felt warm blood pooling inside his own mouth once he’d broken through soft skin tissue that wasn’t caked in mud.

He tossed the coppery, crimson fluid between his tongue and teeth, gliding it around back and forth before swallowing only a small amount.

He didn’t want to be tainted by this disgusting animal more than he already was…

Moving with increased determination, Nines felt the man’s body tightening around the tip of his cock, and he slammed a hand down beside his head on the floor as he pulled back and only fucked into him with the tip.

Their punishment and denial of pleasure was at an equal standoff, now; his keeper wrapped both legs around his back and waist, desperately trying to get his cock to spear inside him while both of Nines’ hands lay flat on the ground as he arched his back and tried tearing away from the death-grip the man had on him.

Though he wanted to leave the man in a sobbing, desperate hot mess, the temptation to go chasing after that impossibly tight heat began outweighing any form of torture he wanted to bestow upon his keeper.

Biting down on the man’s lower lip to distract him, Nines smiled when his keeper’s legs loosened up as he gasped, and Nines took that moment to drive himself deeper inside the channel of pleasure. He sank forward inside the body beneath him, burying himself to the hilt as the man’s head fell back and ‘thudded’ against the rough wood while his eyes rolled back into his head.

He shook and trembled with burning pain and pleasure both competing within him as Nines slammed into him over and over again. Their bodies rocked together, the mud chipping away and falling off his keeper as he fucked him harder and harder against the floor.

The rain outside had slowed down, but it was still drizzling and dripping down into the green grass as Nines turned to the side and gazed out the open door.

It was all so beautiful that he had to sigh as he turned back and lapped more blood off the man’s neck and throat. His tongue flickered rapidly against his flesh, resonating and sounding lovely when it was accompanied by the steady drops against the mushy, soft soil.

Nines trembled and shook as he felt his end approaching, though he tried holding it off as he tugged on the man’s hair more. The pain was probably what had helped his keeper explode against him.

The android felt warm liquid coating his lower abdomen and thighs, and he peered down between their bodies where they were joined and connected, and saw the man’s spent cock slowly growing flaccid as he hissed and shook uncontrollably against him.

Good.

He’d won, and he was so happy.

With renewed hope and determination, Nines brutally fucked his keeper as the man fell limp to the floor.

Nines supposed the muddy lines his keeper had traced down his cheeks probably made it appear like he was crying…

Well, one of them was.

As he stared down at the man lying under him, he saw that he was sobbing as he cradled his face and head into the length of an arm while Nines pounded into him relentlessly.

Something tightened inside him, and Nines knew the signs and signals. He yanked the hair in between his fingers again, and he practically pulled the man up a few inches close to his face. He studied the tear-stained cheeks, and it disgusted him.

How pathetic…

Monsters never cried.

He placed the man’s head against his shoulder as he tried to finish. It wouldn’t take much longer, but seeing that sickening, pained expression was going to break off his concentration.

Still tugging at his hair, his hips rammed against strong, lean muscles and firm hipbones, and Nines closed his eyes as his cock twitched and his balls tightened up. His motions were uncoordinated now as he simply wanted to fuck this man until he was unconscious. He drove himself deeper and deeper, further and further while he saw blackness behind his closed eyes.

When he finally opened his eyes and turned towards the open fields and woods, he gasped at the wondrous sight before him.

Right there, in the middle of the grass sat a young, brown-haired boy. His scar was unmistakable, and he crossed his legs together as his blue eyes stared on curiously at them. He wasn’t more than ten feet away at the most, and his eyes twinkled as he played with a blade of grass.

A few feet behind him in the stretch of trees and woods, Nines saw a shadowy figure looming.

Ignoring it, he trembled and held on tightly to his keeper as he hissed out the beginning of his release. Delivering one last herculean thrust, he bit back heavy groans as he spilled inside the body he was connected to. His hips kept thrusting, even though he was slowly being drained and milked, but he kept his eyes wide open as he stared at the young boy.

He plucked a blade of grass from the ground as he stared directly through Nines’ eyes. Slowly, the android smiled at him as he bit back a groan when he had spent himself deeply inside his keeper’s body.

A moment stretched on, and then, as clear as day, the young boy smiled back. His cheeks turned rosy and pink as he ran the blade of grass across his nose, purposefully making it trail and trace along his scar.

The wind blew lightly, but his clothes and hair didn’t move, nor were they wet.

Nines smiled even brighter as he cradled his keeper’s head into his chest, almost holding him like he would a young child, much like the one a few feet away.

The shadow moved behind the boy, and it retreated further and further into the woods while Nines watched it. A silvery-flash suddenly flew backwards before the horrifying figure completely disappeared from sight.

Nines peered back down at the boy when they were both safe and alone together.

He licked his lips and sighed in a faint whisper, “How was it?”

The boy only grinned before holding the blade of grass up against his lips, and he blew against it as hard as his little lungs could. It flew up into the air, twirling and dancing downwards slowly until it joined the rest of the wet grass below.

“How was it?”

The boy was gone when he looked up again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaannnd this is where I have to step away from this fic for another week or so as I think about why I write these things.


	17. Contact

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One very fucked up chapter ahead. But I must warn everyone: don't read too much into Gavin and Connor's interaction (you will see what I mean later)

Nines sat on a stool by the fireplace, staring intently into the flames that danced and swished about. They were charming and mesmerizing; they twisted about in their own heated seduction, giving him quite a performance. He was fascinated by the flames for an eternity when his keeper woke up again.

Shortly after their violent-sexual encounter, Nines had thrown the man across the room and beat him within an inch of consciousness. 

The creature didn’t fight back, shockingly. He merely allowed himself to be thrown about as if he weighed next-to-nothing. His muscles and flesh slammed into objects that were beyond what any regular man could take, and Nines didn’t go easy on him at all.

Unleashing every bit of heated anger and resentment towards his keeper, he battered and bruised him up relatively well for nearly fifteen minutes. Still, the man didn’t even flinch. He was flung around much like a doll or a balloon until Nines had his fill and discarded him halfway inside and outside the doorway leading towards the yards.

He was surprised he hadn’t killed the man, and it seemed like the beast could handle a lot more physical force and stress than he let on. He’d been able to handle having his face and head beaten against the floors, the walls, and even some of the furniture, and he still woke up and began cleaning himself off as he walked around the house and bandaged himself up.

He dressed slowly, and he was constantly fumbling and crashing about as he swayed on his legs. It annoyed Nines, but he turned his back to him and chose to watch the flames move and dance about in the fireplace while the afternoon turned into evening.

The keeper’s phone rang a few times, and Nines knew immediately who it was.

His keeper pulled on a hooded sweater within an hour, and he limped towards the door in the back by the kitchen as he hissed out:

“I’m going out.”

Nines merely nodded, eyes never blinking as he stared at the flames, “Do what you must.”

“Stay here.”

“I will.”

The door slammed, then, and Nines was left alone with his thoughts, though he wasn’t complaining. He didn’t even know who he was, anymore. While his thoughts had once frightened him and disturbed him, they were all he had, and all he relied on lately. They were his source of comfort, and he greeted them as old friends who came for a visit after so long, even if they brought with them something terrible he knew he should have been running away from...

He had faint recollections and memories of what he once had been, but those were mere representations of a much weaker creature. He was the strongest of the two, and while he’d been dormant for some time, he was fully awake and ready, now.

Every man had a beast within himself. The beast had a calling, and it would only surface when the time was right. His time was now…

It was almost time to hunt.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor redialed Gavin’s number, finding that he was whispering ‘pick up, pick up, please pick up’ a few times over while the line connected and buzzed.

“Pick up!!” He suddenly frowned at himself. Why was he so desperate and needy to talk to this man?? What was he going to say to him when he even answered the phone??

Feeling a little uneasy, Connor nearly didn’t hear that Gavin had picked up.

“Yeah?” His gruff voice made the android feel a little fuzzy, and he cleared his throat as he shook his head and forgot his weird, strange thoughts and questions buzzing around in his head.

“Are you still going to meet me in the coffee shop?”

He heard a pause, and it worried him.

They had agreed to meet up and have a chat just as friends normally would do, but Connor couldn’t help but feel that their interaction somehow meant more to him than what he let on. Sure, he cared about this man as a friend, but why did he feel so dizzy and light-headed as he drove down the streets in the taxi that was headed for the coffee shop?

Every street he passed, he felt dizzier and dizzier.

Did the man somehow sense it?

Did Gavin want to cancel on their meeting?

“Gavin?” He hoped he didn’t sound needy, but apparently he hadn’t, for Gavin chuckled warmly. It immediately made the RK800 smile to himself.

“I’d never back out on ya, Connor; I’m already in the parking lot.”

He looked out of the windows once the taxi was almost there, “Oh!! I think I see you!!” As he zeroed in on the dark hooded figure, he saw that it was indeed Gavin.

The day was quickly turning into evening, and the wind had picked up when Connor exited the vehicle. He could smell the tobacco from Gavin’s cigarette already, but he didn’t mind it as he offered his friend a warm, welcoming smile which he returned back.

As Connor grew closer to Gavin, he saw that something was terribly wrong…

He let out a gasp as he pointed at Gavin’s bruised cheeks and purple-black right-eye, “What happened?!?” He felt ashamed that he hadn’t noticed Gavin was limping, but the man moved as if he’d been badly hurt or damaged.

Gavin merely grunted as he winced and waved a hand, “S’nothin’, don’t worry about it.”

“Gavin! You look like you were in a fight!!” That, was an understatement.

A few of Gavin’s fingers were bandaged, and it seemed like he had cuts and bruises even on his chest, as his unzipped sweater blew in the wind and opened up before Connor’s eyes. The flesh wasn’t pink; it was blue, purple, and yellow everywhere.

Connor held up a hand, though he didn’t want to touch the man, “Shouldn’t we go to a hospital?!”

Gavin merely shook his head as he took another drag from his cigarette, “Nope.”

“Why not?!! You could be badly hurt-”

“Wild sex, Connor,” he threw the cigarette butt down on the pavement and put it out with a crunch of his boot, “I had wild, rough sex with my partner, okay?”

Oh…

The RK800 felt embarrassed, and a twinge of jealousy. He held his head down and nodded, eyes darting from side-to-side. “I see…” he coughed, “I didn’t think you were…you know…”

Gavin smirked, “What?”

“I didn’t think…” He couldn’t even finish the thought without feeling even more ashamed. Why was he feeling jealous? Was it _only_ because this man got to experience physical, sexual pleasure with someone, while he couldn’t?

He didn’t know, but he didn’t like where his imagination was headed. “Let’s go inside.”

As he turned and made his way towards the front doors, Gavin snickered at his back, “You didn’t think I was into kinky shit like that, huh?”

Connor gasped as he spun around, and the door of the coffee shop flew open as a man with his teenage son walked out holding donuts and coffee. Trying to keep his voice down, Connor looked at his feet as he nodded.

“It’s none of my concern, really,” he waited until they had headed towards their car and at least sat down inside it before it continued.

“—but you seem so…?”

Gavin shrugged, “Everyone’s into somethin’ weird, Connor,” he held the door open for the android, allowing him to head inside first, “…and anyone who tells you they’re not into weird shit, is a fuckin’ liar.”

“Oh…I…I suppose so?” Connor scratched his head as he found them a table not too far away from where they’d first sat after their incident at the Supermarket. It seemed like yesterday that they were back here after that accident happened, but Connor found he still didn’t regret meeting and literally bumping into Gavin Reed.

The man was strange to Connor, still, but he was a breath of fresh air. He didn’t have a lot of time for friendships given the line of work he was into, but he found that this one was well worth it. Gavin seemed to have a lot of good experience and advice, and he seemed to really understand and care for Connor in ways that Hank never could.

The older Lieutenant had also been definitely avoiding him, now. Connor knew it in the ways that Hank always left early, or sometimes he came into the DPD way too late, and began burying himself in his work while he listened to his own music and left Connor seated on the other side of their shared desks.

It was painful to see and be involved with, but Connor found his distraction within Gavin. And the other man didn’t disappoint…

Since their conversation over the phone, Connor had really been thinking about pursuing a romantic relationship, but he wasn’t sure _how_ to begin one. Part of that had been the reason why he chose to meet up with Gavin today. He needed more help and more advice!

Did he prefer men? Or women?

He wasn’t sure of himself, and he wanted to ask Gavin how he’d found his relationship and discovered he was into men.

He only hoped the other male was comfortable sharing this with him, and he greeted him with a gentle, friendly smile when he’d sat down across from the little table by the window Connor had found for them.

“One black coffee for me,” Gavin set his cup in the center of the table, and he held out a little brown paper bag in another hand, “—and one surprise for you!!”

Connor gasped and smiled with wide eyes as he reached for the brown bag excitedly, “For me?!?”

“For you, handsome.”

He grabbed the bag in a hurry, pulling it open as his hands fished deep inside it. Gavin sat comfortably, but his hood was still draped over his head as he watched Connor with a smirk.

Connor stopped trying to grab the item in the bag, and his eyes fell on Gavin’s scar on his nose. He studied it for a moment, and then gazed about his face at the numerous bruises there.

Gavin winked at him, “See somethin’ you like, gorgeous?”

“Please take off the hood…I want to see you…”

Connor immediately cringed, while Gavin’s eyes went a little wide.

What…

Why had he stated that out loud to him for?!

Feeling strange sensations crossing his mind and system, Connor fumbled in the bag again, feeling the solid object inside it. In one motion he yanked it out as he cleared his throat and cursed at himself internally.

He surely didn’t really want Gavin to take off his hood? Did he?

He didn’t understand what was happening to him, but luckily, the gift his friend had given him proved to be a good distraction for the time being.

When he’d pulled it out from the bag, he gasped and laughed in surprise and happiness.

It was a little, squared picture frame. The sides of it were littered with little donuts, smoothies, coffee beans, cookies, and a little brown mouse sat in the bottom left-hand corner nibbling on a jelly donut.

Connor looked up at Gavin and beamed at him with joy, “It’s beautiful, Gavin!!”

The other man smirked as he held up his coffee cup, “You like it?”

“I love it!” Connor placed it carefully back in the bag, tucking it down on his lap as he smiled warmly at Gavin again, “Thank you.”

Gavin leaned back as he chuckled, “It’s awesome how excited you get over these things, he-hehe-hehe.”

“I’ll treasure it, always.” He meant it, and Gavin nodded as he took off the plastic top from his coffee cup and allowed the steam and scents to float up between them on the table.

“I know you will, Connor.”

They sat in silence, simply staring into each other’s eyes while the coffee shop grew a little more crowded and busier. The questions that Connor had for his friend still echoed and ran around in his mind, but he bit down on the tip of his tongue and the insides of his cheeks as he battled with himself on how to ask the questions he’d wanted to without seeming rude or hurtful…

His friend must’ve noticed his inner turmoil, and he set down his coffee cup and crossed his arms over his chest, “Alright, out with it,” he snickered, “somethin’s on your mind, Connor.”

Connor’s jaw fell, “How did you-”

Gavin tapped his temple with a finger, “Psychic, baby!”

They both burst out in laughter that rang out loudly even in the busy coffee shop. It caught the attention of a few people around them, but they only threw them nasty glares before turning back to their own chattering and feasting activities.

Gavin wiped his lips after he’d taken another sip of his coffee. “So go on, then,” he encouraged with a small smile, “I’m all ears.”

The RK800 sighed. It was now or never, and something told him that Gavin didn’t seem to mind questions being thrown his way…why else would he offer, right?

Still, he decided to be cautious as he selected his words appropriately.

“H-how did you know you…” he broke eye contact, willing himself to finish what he’d started.

“—how did you know you were attracted t-to m-men?” The last few words had been so difficult to say out loud, but he felt better after he’d said them. He only hoped he hadn’t angered his friend, but he was too shy and scared to look at him.

He heard fingers and feet shifting, and he saw a flash of pink. Gavin had rested a hand in the center of the table as he sat and leaned forward.

“Hey,” his voice sounded gentle, soft, and definitely _not_ upset.

It made Connor look up, and he saw kindness and acceptance shining and radiating in those blue-grey depths, just then. It heated his entire core, and he immediately smiled back as he held out his own hand and rested it against Gavin’s.

They weren’t holding hands; they were merely making contact, and it helped ease the tension he’d felt.

Gavin grinned at him, “It’s okay.”

“I’m sorry…”

“Shh, don’t be silly.”

He held his head down, “I just wanted to ask that because I don’t know which genders I am attracted to.”

His friend nodded as he chuckled, “You could be attracted to both, Connor…there’s no rule and law when it comes to sexuality and experiences of it.”

Again, he felt the need to go into uncharted territory, “Are you attracted to both?”

The man shook his head, “I don’t think so.”

Connor was confused, and he frowned. He didn’t realize that his friend had linked their fingers together, simply grazing and stroking his skin…

“But you…you have-”

“I think it’s just _him_ ,” he explained as he smiled patiently at the android. “Sexuality doesn’t have to be what you think; it’s different for everyone.”

“So if you saw a woman right now, would you be attracted to her?”

His friend snickered again, and his eyes gleamed, “Nah, I’m pretty happy and comfortable in my relationship.”

His eyes fell on the bruised skin again, and Connor had to question the state of ‘happiness’ Gavin was in. As long as he wasn’t confusing ‘abuse’ with ‘happiness’, Connor found it wasn’t his business to push and pry further. He had to only enjoy the time and friendship he was making with Gavin, and that was all that mattered.

The RK800 nodded, and then a warm sensation pressed into the palm of his outstretched hand. He gazed down and saw that Gavin was definitely holding his hand…it seemed so…comfortable…

Their eyes met slowly again, and Connor saw a grin forming on Gavin’s face. The lips were somewhat dry, and the center seemed like the skin had been peeled or bitten off…he still smirked at Connor while his fingers stroked his flesh sensually.

He retracted his hand, trying to do so in a gentle, friendly way that wouldn’t seem offensive.

Gavin sat back as he grabbed his coffee cup and smirked, “Just find someone you really connect with, Connor,” he sighed, “but don’t forget about what I said: sex can be way more amazing with men.”

He was sure he was blushing, but he nodded again, “Th-thanks, Gavin, I’ll try to see who I make a connection with.”

Gavin held up a finger, “Don’t forget: Sexual attraction is always a first, Connor.”

The android fell silent.

“We may think personality and shit matters, but trust me, whenever we find someone we’re convinced we feel drawn to because of ‘character’, we secretly are tryin’ to hide the fact that we want to fuck that person all day and night long anytime we think of them.”

Connor swallowed uncomfortably, but he worked a smile on his face anyway. “Right, I’ll remember that, Gavin…thank you?”

The other man winked as he finished his coffee.

“My pleasure.”

He really had a lot to consider with his new information, now, but it was something that would help him take a break from thinking about the Reaper case only.

For once, Connor looked forward to his time spent by himself.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

“Email!! Check your damn emails!!”

Connor looked up from his desk, his ‘friendship’ mug and picture frame resting in a corner on the other side of the green donut box Hank always stored on his desk.

Hank’s voice had interrupted his thoughts, which he didn’t particularly enjoy. It had only been a day since he met up with Gavin, and the RK800 found that ever since, he couldn’t keep their conversation out of his mind.

After a few hours into his morning at the DPD, Connor realized that it hadn’t been their conversation he couldn’t stop thinking about; it was Gavin himself…

Everywhere Connor went, everything he did, he saw Gavin. He thought of the man obsessively, repeating the motions and sensations of his hand resting in his open palm…

It soon drove him crazy, and Connor had to really struggle and focus on his tasks before either Hank or Captain Fowler noticed he was ‘slacking off’. He certainly _was_ indeed doing that, too. As much as he hated admitting it, but he was falling behind in his work, and he was spending far too much time daydreaming about his experiences with Gavin than to get his work done.

While Hank was working steadily in front of him at his desk, Connor had been too occupied with identifying the things that were Gavin to even notice he had incoming emails. His eyes relished in the sight of his coffee mug, still clean and untouched from the day Gavin had gifted him with it, and then he studied the picture frame.

At one point, he even held it proudly in his hands while Hank tried getting his attention.

The older Lieutenant glared at Connor. He wished he could wipe that stupid, excited, childish smirk off his face as his thumbs and fingers traced the shapes on the picture frame. He seemed to worship each and every one of them, and it made Hank feel sick. He couldn’t stomach it any longer, but he kept his patience while he read over the recent case file that Captain Fowler had forwarded to them.

The newest case had come in, and it was no doubt the Reaper again. His rumored victim was a thirty-eight-year-old man with freckles, red, curly hair by the name of Alvin Matthew Parker. Mr. Parker had been last seen by his friends and co-workers at the end of his work-shift at a welding company. He’d driven home as he normally would to go home to his fiancé Christine, but she’d reported him missing when he didn’t come home that day…

All the alarm bells had gone off for Hank, but it seemed as if Connor couldn’t be bothered…

What happened to the old Connor who was so eager to help humanity out?! Two people had gone missing practically under their noses, now, and Connor was gazing happily at his stupid coffee mug and picture frame as if he had no other care in the world.

It made him sick.

When he heard Connor sigh as if he’d been in love and daydreaming about someone, Hank had enough of it.

He slammed down his laptop lid, stood up, and made his way around to Connor’s desk. He leaned down and roughly grabbed the android’s shoulders in his hands, and tugged Connor away from his desk. He’d wheeled him away from his items, and then yanked him to his feet.

“Hey!! What’re you-”

“SHUT UP, CONNOR!” He hadn’t meant to scream it out loud, but he had.

Everyone gazed up at them in shock and fright, and whispers erupted as Connor shoved Hank’s hands away.

“Let me go!”

Hank gave him a firm push in the center of the chest, “If you’re just going to sit there and longingly gaze at your friendship tokens, you don’t need to be here, Connor!”

Connor scowled at him as he gave Hank a rough shove, “You don’t get to tell me where I go and what I do!”

Hank shoved him once more, “I _will_ if I see my so-called ‘partner’ sitting around and fucking having his head in the clouds rather than working!!”

“I was working!!”

Hank spun him around then, pointing a finger at his screen where the number 1 sat in his inbox. “What’s this, then?!”

Connor glared at the screen, then at Hank while a small crowd formed behind them as their co-workers watched in horror as they argued and fought.

“An unread message, Connor!” Hank roared, “That’s what the fuck it is!!”

“I’ll get to it later!” Connor struggled against Hank’s firm grip on the back of his shirt collar, but the older male wasn’t letting him go anytime soon as he pointed at the screen, and it opened up due to the touch-screen settings.

Immediately, a man’s photo popped up along with his case file, and the word: MISSING was on the top of it. The man had curly red hair, freckles, large brown eyes…

Hank kicked at Connor’s desk as he shoved the android forward, making his nose practically kiss the screen.

“THIS is the reason why you should be paying attention, Connor!” Hank’s screams of fury grew louder as he shoved Connor’s head closer to the laptop, “He wanted to go home to his fiancé, but he never made it! But you’d know all this shit if you were paying attention instead of dreaming about your buddy Gavin making sweet, sweet hot love to you!”

Connor growled in anger. He spun around and swung a fist, and it connected with Hank’s nose, then. The force of his punch had sent Hank back a few steps, and he crashed over a garbage bin. A few of their co-workers screamed in terror as Hank tripped over the bin and landed on the floor roughly.

Fowler’s office door flew open a second later, and he ran out of his office.

“WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON HERE?!?!”

Hank was helped up by a few other officers, but he brushed their hands aside, “Fuck off! Don’t need your help!” He threw Fowler and Connor nasty, heated glares.

Getting some of the picture, Fowler turned to Connor, “What the fuck are you two doing?! You’re supposed to be working the case; not bickering like a bunch of-”

Hank interrupted by pointing a finger at Connor, “Ask _him_ ; not me!”

Not wanting to be humiliated and subjected to more than what Hank had thrown his way in terms of insults, Connor froze up. He saw everyone’s eyes on him as Captain Fowler tried steadying his own breathing. He held his hands up and massaged his temples.

“Connor, did you attack Anderson?”

He couldn’t answer that…he wouldn’t.

If everyone thought he was a monster, so be it. They could think whatever they wanted. He was tired of slaving away on this case without even having so much of a ‘thank you’ thrown in his way. Enough was enough.

He had a lot of respect and dignity for himself, and he gathered his items quickly. He threw his mug into a plastic bag, and then carefully placed the picture frame inside it.

Fowler sighed, “Connor, I’m talking to you, kid.”

He didn’t answer his superior, and Hank merely huffed, “Let him go,” he turned away and made his way back towards his own desk, “I got this on my own anyway.” He brushed his clothing off, and thankfully wasn’t bleeding from the nose. He just turned away, ignoring Connor and the commotion stirring in the DPD as he grabbed his headphones and turned his music on once more.

“CONNOR!”

Walking away towards the exits briskly, Connor ignored Captain Fowler repeatedly screaming out his name. Soon, the doors slammed on his back, and he was able to drown out all the sounds.

Gone was the whispering, the judgmental hisses, the backbiting remarks, the wise-ass jokes, the conclusions.

He immediately called up a taxi, heading straight for his own apartment.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Gavin picked up on the second ring, to Connor’s amusement.

“Yes?”

His tone of voice brought the same smiles to the RK800’s face. “Hi.”

Gavin snickered, “Miss me?”

“I had a horrible day, Gavin.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Of course!” He paused, “I mean, unless…unless your partner is around?” He convinced himself he didn’t want to sneak around; he was merely not interested in interrupting the couple if they had other plans or things to do.

There was movement on the other end of the line, “Nah, I’m alone, trust me.”

Connor hummed, “Are you sure?”

It was silent again for a minute, and then his phone vibrated. Connor paused the call, and he saw a text message from Gavin. It was a video attachment, and he opened it as he kept Gavin on hold.

The video had no sound, but it showed Gavin sitting down at a small, circular table in an old bedroom, and then it quickly spun around the room. The door was closed, and the closet door was wide open. The view of it showed nothing and no one in sight, and there was no one else on the bed or next to Gavin before the video ended.

He went back to their call, “I saw it.”

“See?”

Connor smiled, “You look nice…just so you know.” He lay back on his bed as he stared up at the ceiling. He’d returned home not too long after his fight with Hank, but he was surprised that Hank or Captain Fowler hadn’t bothered calling him, or emailing him. They hadn’t reached out at all, which said enough to Connor.

He wasn’t wanted or needed.

Perhaps Hank really could handle the case on his own, and that was fine by him. He didn’t need someone hurting him with rude remarks and comments. He had already done whatever he could, and he didn’t need to be pushed anymore.

He wanted a break.

He deserved one!

Clinking noises came from the other end of the line as Connor propped a pillow behind himself and stretched himself out on his bed. He’d already unbuttoned his dress shirt and he felt comfortable already. Listening to Gavin moving around, he frowned, “What’re you up to?”

Gavin paused, slotting a piece of his weapon back together. “I was just cleaning my gun.”

“Is it one of those huge ones?” Connor asked, sounding strangely excited. He hadn’t been able to see what was on the table when Gavin initially began the video he’d sent him, but he figured he could use the distraction from talking about his work immediately.

As if reading his mind, his friend snickered, “Thought you wanted to vent?”

“No…just…is your gun big?”

“Yeah…”

He sat up in glee and joy, “I love those! They’re interesting to work with, but I try not to carry one because I feel pretty safe...” He heard Gavin grunt as he set something down on the table.

“--I don't know how you can handle all of that raw power.” He was impressed, personally, though he understood why a lot of people chose to keep a gun. It wasn’t anything that impressive by itself, but he liked that Gavin seemed tough and fearless.

“Guess I’m strong,” Gavin answered, seemingly ignoring Connor’s stupid statement.

He heard Connor’s breath hitch, and then a weirdly flirtatious, “Yes, I think you are.”

Silence brew between them, suddenly.

Connor froze for a moment.

Was he…? Wait…why did he suddenly feel so hot? Was his system overheating?

He ran a quick diagnostic and came to the conclusion that his system was fine and working in perfect shape, but something was still…wrong…

He listened to Gavin rummaging slowly and carefully, as if he was really trying to listen for any extra sounds that would normally go unheard if one wasn’t paying full attention. Still, he cleaned his weapon as he moved his feet along the floors.

Connor gasped.

His mind suddenly provided a very crisp mental image of what Gavin’s hands were doing to make a sound like that as he cleaned the inside of his weapon. The thought was perverse, but Connor was a curious android, after all. But then…Gavin didn’t seem to be encouraging him…

Yes, he seemed to be a notorious flirt-as he had been in the coffee shop-but there was just no way he was going to sit there in silence while Connor unbuttoned his dress pants and snuck a hand inside them.

Oddly, Gavin stayed silent for a moment, just listening.

It was quiet.

Connor’s hand froze when he’d slid it beneath his boxers.

“Are you still there?”

“I’m here,” Gavin confirmed. He had no intention of hanging up now. Not until he knew what Connor was up to. “Just putting this beauty back together now.”

Connor nodded as he draped a leg up and got himself in a more comfortable position, “By hand?”

“Yeah. It’s slower than asking a professional to do it or looking it up-because I sure as shit am not a professional or a gun-fag, but I’m not in any rush,” Gavin said with a hint of a grin on his lips and in his tone. “I like to take my time so I can get to know what I’m working with on a more...intimate level.”

Connor’s reply was a little delayed. “Y-yeah? I like that too.”

The other male snorted softly. Was Connor really flustered that easily, or just caught off guard? “I figured you would,” he purred. “You’re the kind of guy who likes to do things hands-on. Aren’t you?”

A sharp huff of air, right into the phone, followed by the sound of fabric rustling and shifting hit his ears. “Yes…I am…”

The short, breathless answer gave him away completely. If Connor thought he was being sneaky, he couldn’t be more mistaken. That little shit. Just because Gavin couldn’t see him didn’t mean he couldn’t tell exactly what he was doing. Or what his hands were busy doing. How could he not know and practically see it all, when every breathy little gasp was right in his ear like a desperate, sex-starved touch?

Two could play this game. If Connor was using his voice to get himself off, then Gavin would make sure it was worth his while.

He smirked as he began boasting. “A weapon like this has to be treated with respect,” Gavin continued, slotting two pieces back together, and making sure Connor could hear the mechanical click into place. “She’s my pride and joy. Saved my life more times than I can count. After every use, I strip her down and look over all her parts. Make sure everything’s good to go, inside and out. Then I oil her up in all the right places. Make sure my girl is slick and ready for me at all times...” Gavin heard Connor suck in a breath and hold it. Encouraged, he kept going.

“I want to be as thorough as possible, so I always start by using my hands,” he explained slowly, his voice a low rumble over the line. “There’s no substitute to having that physical contact. Warm metal on your skin—" the silence on the other end broke as Connor let out a shaky exhale, his control splintering while soft, wet sounds resonated through.

Gavin grinned a predatory grin that was all teeth. “--Pressing inside, until I’m satisfied that I’ve gotten as deep as I can with just my fingers,” Gavin whispered, listening to Connor’s breathing grow quicker as he spoke. “Then I’ll line myself up just right and thrust in…”

Connor made a soft, smothered noise into the phone. He might as well have cried out.

“--with some further pressure…to make sure I get every nook and cranny,” Gavin finished, listening to the other man trying to quietly pant for breath. No doubt Connor’s blue blood felt electrified as he was drenched in his own fluids. Knowing that he’d talked the other man through his climax gave him that delicious power and control he’d longed for the moment he looked into those clueless, large brown eyes for the first time. Now he had a vivid image in his mind of Connor, flushed with pleasure and biting his hand to try to stay silent.

Gazing down at his exposed, flaccid flesh, Connor knew he was a complete mess.

He hadn’t done this in a long, long time, as the first time had been an accidental occurrence where he’d brushed his hand against his genitals while washing himself in the shower. At the smallest touch, they’d reacted happily, and he had been rock hard all day.

He’d researched how to rid himself of his problem, and that had been the only case where he’d had to masturbate. That had been done by force, and he hated every second of it even though his body enjoyed it.

But now?

He’d done it willingly, and he loved every second of it…

“Funny,” Gavin commented before Connor had a chance to compose himself. “Whenever I imagined making you come, I always thought you’d be a lot louder.”

The other end of the line was filled with sudden silence.

“Connor,” Gavin whispered softly, and then heard a little click.

The call ended.

Connor had hung up on him, and he held his phone in his hands as he smirked at the cracked screen.

Perfect.

On the other side of the closed and locked bedroom door, Nines groaned gently as he clawed at the wood of the old door. His fingers scraped away wildly at it as he closed his eyes and fell to his knees slowly.

His hand worked his erection furiously, and he came a few seconds later, exploding all over himself and drenching his hands and pants in evidence of his delightful release.

He felt nothing but joy and ecstasy coursing through his system, and it brought everything back to life once more. His LED light turned a happy blue, and he smiled as he pawed at the door with a content expression on his face.

They would have to chase after this once more, perhaps.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you were wondering why this chapter feels more rushed than my usual ones, it's honestly because this part in my story was the most difficult to write. I know, that sounds weird, right? Especially considering the other horrifying crap I've written. But as I mentioned before, I find psychological elements worse and more frightening than the monster under my bed Dx and I honestly abused Connor's innocence (well technically, Gavin did, but whatever) beyond what I had planned originally.  
> Fuck sakes, I don't understand why I write these, but there you go Dx and NO, Gavin is NOT in love with Connor. He just loves the power, so don't read a lot into this encounter.  
> And yes, Nines is also getting off on the power from Gavin, too...gross-I mean, HOT 😶😶.......😉


	18. Hunter and Hunted

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back :D

Hank watched as Connor appeared to be ignoring him while secretly watching him, too. Though their eyes never met, Hank just knew that Connor was constantly sensing his presence, and he was going about it carefully, so they weren’t forced to interact or be in the same room longer than they had to.

For majority of the week, Connor kept to himself, but his reappearance at work in the DPD didn’t leave him ‘out of mind’ by his co-workers.

Tina Chen especially seemed interested in what was going on, but that was just part of her personality. The woman fed off drama, and this was just icing on the cake for her. She pursued Connor relentlessly, asking him what had caused him to lash out at Hank, why they weren’t talking or partnered up anymore, and how he was feeling lately.

It wasn’t as if Hank was even spying; they weren’t even making an effort to keep their conversation private or quiet. Well, Tina wasn’t, anyway.

Still, he tried ignoring them, but he was making little progress on his own. He had no leads, no witnesses, no motive, nothing. He had even gone so far as to draw a large question mark on his notes and then thrown them into the recycling bin beneath his desk.

Fuck this case.

It had been the reason why they were in this mess. He’d lost his trust and friendship in Connor because this Reaper case was bringing out the worst in them both.

Or was it?

Hank liked to think so, but he also knew that he wasn’t fully supportive of Connor spending a lot of time with his new friend ‘Gavin Reed’…

Just who the fuck was this man anyway?

Sure, Connor spoke of him a lot (to the point of ad nauseum), but it actually appeared as if he was ‘happy’ somehow? Did this Gavin make him happy?!

These thoughts boiled Hank’s blood up, and for the first time, he had to wonder why. As far as he knew, he and Connor were work friends, buddies, and that was it…until Connor had come to live with him sometimes…

It was just an arrangement meant to keep them both happy and not feeling alone. What was a life of just working, and then coming home to an empty, silent house? It wasn’t much in the way of happiness at all, and they’d often hung out after work and chatted late into the night after Connor had prepared him a new dish every night, practically.

But now that the routine was over, Hank found himself ordering cheap and unhealthy fast food every day, and he was relying more on beer than water and juice.

He knew however that it was more than just missing Connor’s culinary skills and blessings; he missed Connor. He missed their chats, their laughter shared, everything. Again, he had to wonder why he was missing him. As far as he was concerned (and as far as the law stated now), Connor was free to do whatever he pleased.

He’d mulled over on this for days and days, falling behind in his tasks as he silently observed Connor hiding away with Tina in the Break Room. They were hanging out first by the coffee machine, and then hid away deeper towards the left side of the Break Room, which was a little bit of a ‘blind spot’ for Hank where he was sitting at his desk.

Damn them.

Let them gossip all they wanted! Why should he care?!

But they were more than likely talking about _him_ …that was precisely the issue. He wasn’t as skilled in the art of lip-reading as he once had been when younger, but he caught Connor mouthing his name at least twice when he was whispering away with Tina when they made their way out of the Break Room eventually.

Childish.

He figured they were talking shit about him, and everything in his nature wanted to head over to Tina’s desk and yank Connor back to his own work station.

What was this? High school?!

Since when had Connor resorted to such low tactics to get his attention? If he had something to say, he could’ve said it to his face!! There was no need for this petty, girly drama!

Deciding to let it go for the time being, he wrapped up a few loose ends that weren’t tied to the Reaper case, and he thought about the victims and potential future ones until his mind swam back to Connor against his will, it seemed…

God damn, he was obsessing, now.

There was no point denying it; Hank knew he felt more for Connor than he tried portraying when they were working. After all, that was the only sensible reason and conclusion for his behavior, lately.

Perhaps others didn’t see it, but he knew there was a good reason why he was jealous whenever Connor fawned and gushed over this ‘Gavin’ of his. Hank was beyond jealous because he felt something for Connor. When the line between seeing Connor as a co-worker and friend to potential romantic interest had been crossed was unknown to the older man, but he decided to keep his little secret to himself, for now.

He didn’t need half the entire Precinct buzzing and gasping about how he was starting to crush madly after Connor, though he was certain at least Tina Chen had picked up on it, somehow.

She’d constantly gazed over at him, and her face turned pink before she whispered again at Connor.

Was it time to leave, yet?! Not that he was particularly excited about going home to an empty, lonely house…

As much as he loved Sumo, the damn mutt couldn’t keep up a conversation to save his ass!

Hank sighed for the thirtieth time that day as he simply watched on in silence when Connor followed Officer Chen out into the parking lot for her smoke break.

His eyes had nothing to gaze at longingly, now, sadly. Bored out of his mind, Hank tried forgetting the pangs and pains in his heart and stomach as he brushed his hands through his hair and looked around his desk.

It was a fucking mess, but he had no one to blame but himself for that one. Oh well. Maybe it was time to get some cleaning done, if he wasn’t working on the Reaper case.

He began shuffling his folders, throwing out the old donut box he’d had there since way before Christmas, and got rid of old documents, receipts, papers, anything. It had taken almost twenty minutes before his mind somehow screamed at him that he was ‘Connor-starved’.

Perhaps that was why he found himself glaring away angrily at the empty seat across his own desk, and Connor’s turned off work station.

Everything was just as the organized android had left it, seemingly, and it was silent and quiet…not much like Connor in reality.

Hank wanted the old Connor back. He had no idea what the hell he’d turned into lately, but he suspected it was all because he was excited over this new man in his life…this ‘Gavin’…

Motherfucker.

Just _who_ the fuck was he exactly?!

Connor hadn’t even really described him…perhaps he was using him as a tool to make Hank jealous?

It sure as shit was working!

He just wanted to see and meet this fucker _once_ to set his curiosity aside. All he had in order to paint a picture of who Gavin Reed was, happened to be that stupid mug and friendship picture frame resting on Connor’s desk as neatly as always.

He frowned and scowled at the objects, and when he made sure Connor was still out on his break, he leaned over his desk and snatched up the friendship mug. He studied the letters and colors on the mug, scraping away at one of the letters with his fingernail until it hurt, and until he’d begun growling lightly in the back of his throat…

His mind was made up.

He couldn’t sit silently as he drowned in his fiendish curiosity; it was time to do something about this mess he’d gotten himself into.

Placing the mug back where he’d picked it up, he waited patiently until Connor had not only returned, but would also be away from Tina’s influence.

He needed to talk to Connor privately.

It was time to finally meet this Gavin Reed.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Nines felt his keeper shifting next to him on the large bed as they lay with their backs facing each other in the early afternoon.

He turned his neck around and glared at the nude man next to him. His skin was slightly red, and he had plenty of scratch marks and bruises that Nines had been more than happy to gift him with after yet another violent, sexual encounter.

He couldn’t remember how this one had started, but he was happy it was over, and he turned onto his back as he sighed out in deep regret while the man next to him shivered and clung tightly to the sheets as he tried draping them over his nude body.

Everything was beginning to blur and turn to dust. He’d stopped trying to work a plan out, and he’d just gone along with the natural course of things. Maybe this had been what his purpose was all along…

He wasn’t even missing his old life anymore.

Gone were his previous attachments, and while he didn’t exactly find meaning in his new life, at least he was surviving, and at least he was doing _something_ here after all…whatever that something was, it was now his purpose.

He tossed the sheets off his body as he dressed and got out of the bed as quietly as he could. Due to an odd sense of ‘trust’ between captive and captor, Nines was now allowed to wander as freely as he liked; even so far as to venturing out into the yard or the driveway of the old property.

He wasn’t going to be stopped; after all, where was he going to go?

There were no keys, there was no sense of direction; no purpose, no point.

He had his home, and it made him ‘happy’, in whatever the actual hell happiness was to him, now.

Venturing out into the backyard, Nines wove his way in the tall, unkempt grass, enjoying how the blades tickled his bare feet. He had on a white t-shirt and black shorts, the gentle, cool breezes blowing past his clothes as he looked up at the bright, white clouds and sun.

It beat down over his face warmly, and he welcomed it, considering how the previous days had mostly been cloudy, overcast, stormy…

Hopefully the storms were never going to reappear again. He had some faith in that, at least, and it helped him get lost in his surroundings as he spun around trees, boulders, bushes, and eventually made his way towards the driveway of the house.

Nothing seemed out of the ordinary; the neighborhood was barren and empty as it always had been. Most of the houses were dark on the inside, and the ones that occasionally sheltered squatters had broken doors and windows, but nothing more.

Tons of garbage and litter had been tossed around the other yards and driveways, resembling a large junkyard than a street bearing homes that had once held families and children together safely.

Tires and other car parts and tools were scattered everywhere, and tree stumps and foliage that had been long abandoned grew wildly and practically shrouded the other houses in a jungle-like mess.

It was still lovely; it was home.

Nines found himself smiling all around as he gazed and surveyed around the neighborhood, his eyes eventually making their way all around the perimeter until they landed back to the abandoned car of the last victim the Reaper had taken…

The fucking car was still there?!

Sloppy.

This was no good; it had to go, now.

Nines wondered when the monster had grown so weak and clumsy in his work, and he began cursing the man still likely snoozing away upstairs. It didn’t make any sense at all. He’d been out numerous times searching for their next victim they would kill together, but he hadn’t thought of getting rid of this car?

Fool.

His LED light glared red, and he snarled at the second-floor window where the bedroom was, almost expecting the keeper to be scowling down at him. Not that it held much of a sway over the android any longer. He just wanted to ask ‘why’.

It was his job to get rid of it, however.

It still stood in the same place, parked perfectly. Even the tire that had been blown out seemed…

Wait…

It was fixed?!

No, it couldn’t have been!

Thinking his imagination was playing tricks on him, Nines got right up close to the old car, and he knelt down as he inspected all four tires.

They were fine…they were resting nicely on the pavement, holding the vehicle up perfectly well. They were plump, full of air, and there had been not even so much as a slash against one of them…

So the man was lying?!

None of it had made sense!

Though the tires themselves weren’t new, there had been no evidence of a single mark on them that was delivered by someone else or was man-made at all.

It couldn’t be!!

Nines inspected everything closeup, as his scanning system wasn’t working anymore. He hated that he had to rely on such a weak, human trait such as the power of sight and his eyeballs.

Kneeling down on his palms and kneecaps, he had no idea what to expect and what to find, but his eyes landed on an orange light flickering and blinking lightly…

Attached to it, was what appeared to be a rectangular device, and it was strapped and taped under the car tightly.

Nines didn’t need to scan it to understand what it was; it was a homemade bomb.

An explosive was attached under this car, and the detonator was nowhere to be found. He didn’t dare reach out and touch it, however; doing so would only trigger it to explode.

The only question now, was who put it there?!

Surely it couldn’t have been the deceased who owned the vehicle. No way. That man was nothing short of a coward, and a simpleton trying to make his way back home to his woman. That man was simple-minded, and a fool of the heart. He wasn’t capable of concocting such a thing…

As Nines scowled at the device, he heard the door leading inside the house by the kitchen squeak open…

He whipped his head around, and then saw the door closing.

Squinting viciously at the door as it swung shut, he knew just who was responsible for placing this bomb here.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor bid everyone in the DPD a goodnight, waving off Tina Chen last as she packed up and turned off her work station for the night.

It had been a super long work day, and he himself was looking forward to heading back home…but sadly, he had a report to wrap up, and he cursed himself for not having the gumption and mind to do so when he had the chance earlier in the damn day. Why had he allowed Tina to wrap him up in his drama and gossip instead?! She was nothing but a time-waster, and though he found he loved talking to her, he was now days behind.

Still, it’d felt good to vent and rant to someone, and he now held a deeper and newfound appreciation and understanding for why humans often engaged in this sort of thing.

But now, he had to at least stay back another hour to get things done, and he was trying to get a start on it when he saw Fowler leaving his office as he normally did, last.

The Chief stopped in his tracks as he put on his spring coat, and he merely offered Connor a small nod.

“Connor,” he then began walking over towards his desk, and Connor merely put on a smile, even though his yellow LED light gave away his true emotions of anxiety.

Fowler leaned over his desk, placing a hand on his shoulder, “You’re staying behind?”

Connor nodded, “Just wrapping some stuff up, Sir.”

The man smiled lightly, “Are you feeling better?” He then looked over at his desk, very briefly studying the contents before sighing, “I wasn’t so sure if I should’ve let you return after—”

He didn’t need to finish that thought; they both knew where he was going with this.

Connor couldn’t help but feel slightly insulted, however. He knew that the Captain considered him mildly ‘dangerous’, unpredictable, and in a sense, crazy. This was why he had been tiptoeing around him as if walking on eggshells.

He hated it.

Why were they all judging him and looking at him so differently, now?

He tried shrugging it off and not letting it get to him when Fowler stared at him deeply and closely as if he was suspicious of something already.

Connor couldn’t begin to understand why, but he knew it was all a second nature to Captain Fowler, as he lived this and breathed this day in and day out for his job. He was surely just looking out for everyone’s safety, after all.

He still smiled, trying to appear unaffected, “I’m fine, Sir, though I appreciate your concern.”

Captain Fowler hummed, “So me asking you to come back early is okay, then?”

Connor nodded quickly, “Yep!”

“Alright, Connor,” he gave him one last long look before he turned away. “Goodnight, Connor.”

“Night, sir.”

He was left all alone in the precinct, now, but it didn’t trouble or bother him like it once used to. He knew he was going to actually get some work done now that he had no other distractions…

Except his own thoughts, and the pair of grey eyes watching him from the shadows the Break Room provided, now that all the lights except the kitchen appliances were off…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well shit...now Nines is suspicious.


	19. Thank you guys

😢You guys made my dreams come true *sniffle* 😥😢 I love ya'll.

 


	20. Return to Sender

“Working late, Connor?” Hank stepped out of the shadows when he knew Connor had finally noticed him standing there. He wasn’t exactly trying to scare or worry the android; he just wanted to talk to him without the influence of anyone else being around to affect the conversation, or thoughts thereafter.

Connor didn’t seem too troubled or perturbed; he merely shifted back in his seat a little, and his eyes fell down to his lap. He merely nodded, “Looks that way, huh?”

Hank took a step towards the bullpen, “Well,” he began softly, “the only question is: are you working hard, or hardly working?”

He’d meant for it to be a mild icebreaker joke, but apparently, Connor wasn’t in the mood for that. He didn’t regard it as humor, and he scowled at Hank as he grabbed his friendship mug tightly in his hands as if it were a soft stress ball instead of a hard mug made out of clay.

The moment he clung to it as tightly as he did, Hank’s nerves and anger shot up. He wasn’t that menacing, was he?!

He surely hoped not, but he tried not letting his anger increase as he steadily made his way over to the side of Connor’s desk. He pulled his own chair up as he sat beside him, and he definitely noticed that Connor turned his chair to the side as he scooted away from him…

Great.

That was a confidence builder for sure.

He cleared his throat while Connor rearranged his already-neat and organized desk.

Did he make him _that_ nervous?!

He ran a hand through his long hair, “Connor,” he eyed him warily glancing over at him, as if afraid of being hit or scolded.

“Connor,” he pressed out again impatiently, “I’m not here to hurt you or yell at you; just trying to understand you, that’s all.”

“What’s there to understand?” The android immediately shot back with heated anger looming in his voice.

Feisty thing. Of course it wasn’t going to be that easy-not with his Connor, and that was exactly why Hank Anderson liked him so much.

But how to tell him that specifically?? This wasn’t going to be easy.

Trying to appear calmer than he was on the inside, Hank rested a hand on the desktop, his fingers inches away from the stupid picture frame.

“I can understand why you knocked me on my ass last week,” he stated truthfully-yet plainly. Connor emitted a small gasp, and he swallowed. He seemed suddenly ‘frantic’ and lost, but he looked down at his lap yet again.

“It was my fault…I think…”

Hank quirked a grey brow, “You think?”

Connor shrugged painfully, “I guess! I don’t know!!” He seemed to be on the brink of exploding, and it made Hank laugh. He couldn’t have helped it; he just laughed out loud seeing Connor in the state he was.

At first, Connor had taken offense to that. Naturally, Hank figured he would have as well, had the tables been turned, but after a few seconds of realizing that Hank wasn’t laughing _at_ him, Connor broke out into a smile.

Sure, he tried hiding the fact that he was smiling for a moment, but as he attempted to scowl, that made the older male laugh even harder.

Eventually, the android gave in.

He swatted Hank’s shoulder lightly, “Stop laughing at me!!” A few giggles escaped him, regardless, “It’s really not funny, Hank!!”

Hank wiped a few tears from the corners of his eyes as he willed himself to shut up and stop laughing. He didn’t want Connor’s mood shifting quickly, so he sighed and stretched his arms behind his head while cracking his neck gently.

“I’m sorry, Connor,” he lowered his hands and crossed them over his chest, “I know I can be a royal pain in the ass to work with sometimes, you know?”

Connor held up a hand, “Forget it, I’m already over it.”

“I sure as fuck hope so,” Hank sighed, “I miss you bringing me my donuts…”

Connor hissed, “You jerk!”

They both laughed and chuckled at this for a few seconds before Hank’s eyes fell once again on the friendship tokens ‘Gavin’ had blessed Connor with. Immediately, the mood around them shifted, and Connor winced.

“What’s wrong?”

Hank scratched the back of his head as he stared at the items, “Nothing,” he dropped his hand to his lap then, where his fingers tugged at a loose thread in his jeans, “just gotta get used to you being in love, I think.”

Connor’s breath hitched in his throat, “Hank,” he shook his head, “it’s not like that—”

He didn’t want to hear whatever excuses Connor had, as it would likely hurt him more in the end.

“Connor, it’s cool.”

The android growled, “No! You don’t understand! He’s—”

“I absolutely _do_ understand what it’s like to want someone who doesn’t want you back,” he was fumbling with his words, and he just let it all go as he rambled on.

“But as long as you’re happy, I’ll—”

Connor hissed as he slammed a hand on his desk. “He has a boyfriend!!!”

He hadn’t meant to yell it out like that, but it definitely caught Hank’s attention. The older man had finally stopped talking, and he bit his lower lip before swallowing thickly.

“Wait…you mean he’s in love with someone else??”

Connor rolled his eyes, “Yes! And he’s in a relationship!!”

Hank shook his head as he snorted in disgust, “Never knew you were a homewrecker, Connor…”

“I didn’t sleep with him!!”

Hank’s cheeks flushed, but then he broke out into a grin, “Good to know, Connor,” he tossed the android a flirty wink, “but something tells me you’ve done something else with him.”

Bastard.

He was too clever for his own good, and Connor wasn’t even going to bother lying to a seasoned, well-experienced Lieutenant. Knowing he had no other options available, he looked at his mug as he grumbled out, “I just…I had phone sex with him…”

This time, Hank was blushing for a different reason altogether. He looked livid, but he swallowed and he scratched at his chest and arms, more likely a nervous tick than anything else.

“Right…” he grunted as he nodded once, “did his partner hear you two?”

“I don’t think so,” Connor stated, feeling a little frightened if he in fact _had_ somehow heard them. Gavin was more careful than that though, right??

Hank toyed with a few strands of his beard, “You do know that you basically helped him cheat on his lover, right?”

Connor scowled up at him suddenly, and it made him wince, “You don’t need to tell me that!”

Shaking his head, Hank sighed, “And let me guess, you’re in love with him now?”

“No!!” Connor shook his head as his eyes fell down to the floor, “I’m not!!” This was something he knew for a fact. There was still a lot about Gavin Reed that was in the realm of the ‘unknown’ and mysterious, and Connor wasn’t going to let his emotions guide him into something that could potentially be hurtful or dangerous. It was all just foolish lust.

Chewing on his lower lip, he nervously spat out, “It was a mistake, Hank…”

Hank rolled his eyes, “I’ll say it was.”

“No! I’m serious,” he folded his hands in his lap, fearful of grabbing onto the mug or the picture frame, which he knew would upset Hank.

“I regret it already.”

Hank opened his mouth to speak, closed it, then sighed, “Well, as long as you learned something from it, then I guess not all hope is lost, right?” He was still pissed as hell on the inside, but he didn’t want to lash out at Connor again. Yes, what he’d done was absolutely stupid and idiotic, but that was the last thing Connor needed to hear right now. He needed a supportive friend right now; not a jealous suitor.

Still, he was curious, and being human, he was flawed. Of course he couldn’t hold back.

Leaning close to Connor, he whispered, “I am wondering something though, Connor…”

The android’s large brown eyes took in his own, and it made him melt.

He found himself leaning in closer to Connor, and a small voice at the back of his mind was starting to scream something at him. He abandoned it for a moment.

“Connor,” he gently cooed, “you feel close to me, right?”

Connor thought about it for a moment, and then he offered a small smile, “Of course I do, Hank!”

Hank mirrored his smile, “If that’s the case, then why didn’t you ever approach me and ask me to help you with phone sex, if you wanted?”

Again, that small voice was returning, and it had grown louder and more intense, now.

_STOP! STOP!! YOU SHOULDN’T EVEN BE ASKING THIS OF HIM RIGHT NOW, YOU MORON!!!_

Oh fuck off with that, he wasn’t even taking advantage of Connor!! He needed to be with someone he knew; not a complete stranger already involved with someone else!!

He observed Connor looking frightened, and he even gave off a faint blush.

Cute.

He patiently waited as Connor looked everywhere around him, and he shook slightly, “Hank, I…I…umm…”

“I like you, Connor,” he admitted, finding his confidence even though the voice was yelling at him and begging him to stop.

“You know you can always just ask me whatever you want, and I’ll try to do it for you and give you whatever you wish…”

Connor looked down at his lap, and Hank didn’t want any of it.

He pressed an index finger under his chin, and he slowly and gently tilted Connor’s head up so he was at least almost eye-level with him.

Connor gasped, but he didn’t reject or refuse Hank’s touches.

Good.

He leaned in closer until their eyelashes practically rubbed against each other, and it made Connor blush when their eyelids fluttered together.

“I hope you can like me too, Connor…”

_OKAY, YOU CONFESSED HOW YOU FEEL, AND THAT IS ENOUGH FOR NOW!! LEAVE THE POOR KID ALONE, NOW!!_

Shut the hell up.

He smiled, letting his lips ghost over Connor’s, and he was most pleased when Connor’s lips slightly opened, and he tilted his head up.

_Yes…just like that, Connor._

His fingers stroked his chin and cheeks, admiring how angular and lovely his face was sculpted. Hank turned Connor’s chair so he was directly across from him now, and their kneecaps knocked together.

Hank solved that issue by spreading his own legs open, and he yanked Connor forward a little, though he was careful to be gentle with him.

“You’re very handsome, Connor,” he told him truthfully as his eyes searched his deeply.

“H-Hank…”

His thumbs stroked his human skin, and he almost closed his eyes as he rested his forehead on the android’s.

“You’re a work of art, you know…”

“I am?”

“I always thought so.”

Connor gently pressed his forehead against Hank’s, seeming as if he wanted them to be even closer than they already were. “If you liked me so much, how come you didn’t tell me earlier?”

It was a good, legitimate question that Hank hadn’t expected, but he knew how to answer it. His feelings for Connor were true, and he had no ulterior motive, even if his arousal was building up in between his legs.

“I’m sincere about you, Connor,” he whispered against his lips, his breath hitting Connor’s plump pink lips right in the center, making the android close his eyes in enjoyment.

“I really do like you just as you are, and I want you to try to accept me as I am, too.”

He felt Connor shaking in his hands, but it wasn’t in disgust, repulsion, or anger; he wanted him just as much as he did.

“Hank…”

Hank smiled when he heard Connor practically moan out his name, and he rubbed his thumb over his lower lip.

“Please give me a chance, Connor.”

Sure, he was begging, but it didn’t bother him as it would have had it been someone else. He was going to wait around and beg Connor forever; no matter how long it took.

Thankfully, it didn’t seem to require that much time.

Connor had leaned in closer, and he finally ended the gap between their lips. He pressed his chastely against Hank’s, and was ready to pull away, but there was no way Hank was going to let him go now that he’d done such a sweet, sexy thing.

Grabbing onto his jaw tightly, Hank growled as he devoured Connor’s lips. Soon, his mind was spinning just the same way his tongue was spinning and curling around Connor’s. The android didn’t fully understand how to kiss, but god damn, he was making an effort. The energy he poured into it was what got Hank’s blood boiling and his body parts reacting in the right places.

This was too much…

He knew he wasn’t going to be able to control himself for much longer if Connor kept nipping at his lower lip in the way he currently was. He snaked his tongue deeper inside Connor’s warm mouth, and he groaned right into his mouth as he desperately tugged at Connor’s shirt.

But this wasn’t the time or the place, and he didn’t want to rush into this lust-first. He hadn’t been with anyone sexually since his wife left, and he didn’t want to also see Connor as a substitute or just a warm body for his bed at night.

His mind needed to be clear, first.

He reluctantly ended the kiss, choosing instead to hold onto Connor’s face in his warm, large hands as he delivered a few kisses to his forehead and cheeks.

Connor sighed in happiness and content as he played with Hank’s hair slowly.

“What do we do now?”

Hank merely smiled, “Now, we go meet your friend ‘Gavin’, and you will introduce me as your boyfriend, if you want.”

Connor gasped, and as he pushed away from Hank, his eyes lit up. “You want to meet him??” He didn’t seem opposed to the idea; just shocked. This was better than being a dirty secret, he supposed.

Still, he didn’t like the pause in thoughts Connor was displaying, but thankfully, Connor broke out into a small smile.

“Alright! I’ll call him tomorrow, and we should all go for coffee!!”

Beaming proudly, Hank kissed him once more on the lips.

He really was grateful.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Nines watched his keeper trying to clean out the disgusting, old kitchen. He had no idea that the cupboards actually held utensils and such, but he knew they had when the man was reaching through them while sighing to himself. He’d placed them all out on the counter, and Nines had to wonder why; that place was far dirtier and disgusting.

Wasn’t the whole point to get these things clean of DNA and other traces of evidence after they’d used the knives especially to slice up body parts?

Again, this monster was slipping.

Of course, there was no way to be composed when plotting a murder, though…

He continued observing in silence, looming and hiding in the dark hallway leading towards the kitchen, the door slowly pressing open. The utensils clanged and clanked against the counter, and eventually, it was a sign that his keeper was growing angry or fed up…

He growled as he ran a hand through his short hair, and he kicked at the bottom cabinet in anger.

“Where the fuck is it?!”

He flicked a finger at the knife rack, and one of them was definitely missing.

Strange.

Nines watched him carefully, and when he was through with searching the rest of the kitchen, he sighed as he rubbed his neck. He turned around slowly, and he leapt back in fright when he was facing Nines a few feet away from the kitchen.

“Jesus fucking Christ, Plastic!!” His eyes were blown wide, and he panted as he pressed a hand against his chest and forced out a dry laugh, “You…you scared me…”

Nines felt his eyes glowing with anger, “I’m awfully sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

His captor shrugged as he tugged on the hood of his sweater, “It’s alright, I guess…” his eyes searched the android’s, “what’s going on?”

Cold eyes met his own, and Nines merely responded sourly, “I assume you’ll be letting me know soon?”

Confusion crept its way along the keeper’s face, “What’re you—”

Suddenly, his cellphone rang in an interruption. However, he didn’t answer it right away…

It rang for several times, and then Nines stared down at it resting on the counter by the knife rack. “Are you going to get that?”

His keeper looked down at it while it rang loudly, “Umm…yeah…guess I should, huh?”

Nines didn’t answer him; he merely stared at the phone, never taking his eyes off it once.

His keeper’s hands slightly shook, but they eventually hovered over the phone, as if fearful of it biting him or something. Eventually, his fingers snatched it up, and he swiped across his phone to answer the call.

He turned around, facing the opposite direction, “Hello?”

As he spoke on, Nines sneered at him. Whatever he was planning, he was going to prevent soon as he could. The air was growing deadly and silent, and he knew that the man wished he was elsewhere so he could have this conversation along in private.

Too bad.

He needed and wanted him to feel uncomfortable, so he stayed rooted to the spot while the creature paced the kitchen. He was growing more nervous by the second.

Why?

Where was that confidence he’d displayed while snatching away life so easily?

It was almost laughable.

He hung up the phone while Nines was lost in thought.

Their eyes met, and Nines offered a cruel smirk, “You have plans?”

His keeper nodded as he pointed at the door leading out of the kitchen and the house, “Yeah…I’m um…gotta meet up with someone.”

Nines nodded, “Very well.”

“Stay here.”

“I shall.”

He nearly stumbled and tripped over his own feet as he hurriedly put on his boots. Nines observed him silently, his eyes tracing his every move, and he took a few steps into the kitchen.

Once his keeper was ready, he stood tall, and he scratched his head as he stared down at the floor.

“By the way,” he began softly, eyes finally fluttering up to meet Nines’, “did you…I mean…y-you didn’t happen to know where that knife went, did you?”

Nines gave him a serious look, “It’s more than likely in the basement where you last were using it.”

It didn’t appear like the man believed him, but he nodded, “Right…I’ll check for it there later, then.”

Nines wasn’t amused.

His keeper turned around, and just before his hand reached for the door handle, Nines placed his own over his shoulder firmly. His keeper stopped moving right away and froze.

“Are you sure there’s nothing you wish to tell me?” Nines whispered against his back, his breath hitting the back of his neck purposefully. His fingers eased and massaged the muscles in his shoulder and neck, and he rolled his shoulders backwards as he still faced the door.

He shook his head, “Nope,” he finally gripped the door handle firmly, “I’m leaving, now.”

“So be it.”

The door slammed in his face seconds after, and the sun was starting to fall, slowly. As bright and long as the days were, today seemed…gloomier in comparison to the other days.

Nines watched as his keeper paved his way through the side of the house, and down the driveway. His eyes followed him get in his van, and he finally drove away and up the street, not really in a hurry after all.

The sound of the engine died down, and Nines glanced at the knife rack.

There indeed was a place for one more knife, and he withdrew his hand from behind his back slowly.

The blade of the knife was sharp, and it gleamed in the sunlight that poked in through the windows. He ran his fingertip along the tip once, and then looked carefully at it, as if seeing it and studying it for the first time ever.

His eyes finally looked out the window again.

At least it was still sunny out.

He placed the knife back in the rack.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

“Gavin, meet Hank! Hank, meet Gavin!!”

They stood facing each other in the parking lot of the coffee shop close to _Jon’s Supermarket_. Both men leaned against the doors of the cars, staring emptily at each other while Connor smirked and beamed at them with pride and joy.

What was there to be happy about?

He didn’t like this older man at all, and he clearly wasn’t taken with him, either. Still, they had to bear each other’s presence, and he was lucky enough that he made some sort of excuse for why he couldn’t stay and chat for long.

“Aww,” Connor almost pouted, “where do you have to go?”

He shrugged, “Just to pick some shit up for work, that’s all.”

The older man snorted, “What exactly do you do for a living?”

He glared at him, but he didn’t back down from it. Judging already? So be it. A staring contest went down between the two of them, but the older, bulkier man had an advantage of height, but also something else he wasn’t able to put his finger on…

Odd.

Either way, they didn’t like each other, but luckily, he could at least bury and hide away in his world of cigarettes and booze…

“I work in the food industry…well, kind of like a butcher’s shop, actually.” He was fishing for his lighter already, his fingers relying on the memory of him stashing them in his back pocket.

Connor gasped, “You never told me!!”

“I’m tellin’ ya now.”

Strangely, Connor didn’t seem too disturbed now that they’d met up after their little ‘incident’. It was probably more than likely due to him having his ‘man’ here with him now.

Oh how he wanted to get him alone and see how ‘tough’ and happy he’d be, then.

For now, he couldn’t do anything as Connor clung to the man and introduced him as his lover…

“And it’s all thanks to you!!”

“Huh?” He really had lost him up until that point, not bothering to hear his words as he lit a cigarette. “What’d you mean?”

Connor smiled, “You helped me discover who I was, and I took your advice and found someone I really like!”

He forced a smile on his face, “I’m happy for ya, Connor.” He really didn’t care what Connor was doing anymore; his android was back at his home, eager and hungry for another kill, and so was he, for that matter. It was always like this, too. No matter how many lives he snatched away, it would only help that ache go away for maybe a little while, but he was never able to seek and find complete longevity.

For the time being, however, he figured he could at least feign interest in the couple, before they both got the hint that something was terribly off with him.

He flicked his cigarette ashes down by his boots, “So how’d you two meet exactly?”

Connor pressed a hand against his lover’s shoulder while the older man snarled, “We work together!”

He snorted, “Sweet.”

The android’s lover growled, “Well, it was nice meeting you, Mr. Reed,” he began pushing Connor towards the door of the coffee shop, “but if you don’t mind, we have some private things to discuss now…”

He didn’t need to be told this in a franker way, and he nodded, “Later.”

“Later.” So much the better, he had other people to see anyway, and there was something terribly off putting about Connor’s new man. Was he possibly involved in working for Security at some point?

No…

He had to have been a cop at some point…he just stank like one, and he had to make good his escape.

He got in his van and drove off, not bothering to look back at them as Connor waved. Knowing he had maps to collect, routines of people to document and jot down, and a new victim to select, he couldn’t be bothered what Connor or his lover thought of him.

He had bigger fish to fry.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor smiled into the bathroom mirror as he got out of the shower and hurriedly dialed Gavin’s number. He was very excited to tell his friend what his lover thought of him, but he was careful to leave out some of the ‘colorful’ language Hank had used to describe Gavin.

In milder terms, Hank wasn’t too fond of Gavin all in all, but at the end of the day, he told Connor that as long as he shared everything with him, he was alright with his choice in a friend. This was good enough, and he was proud to tell Gavin that they would all be getting along nicely, now.

It was the best he was going to get, and he just knew that Hank would eventually grow to like Gavin sooner or later. They just all had to hang out more!

He vouched to ask Gavin to bring his partner out next time, and maybe they could all have a double date!!

Yes, this would do nicely!

Gavin finally picked up, and he greeted him roughly.

Was he sick? Tired?

Alarm bells lightly went off in Connor’s head, but he tried being positive.

“Hank really liked you!!!” He announced cheerfully. He heard a car horn honking somewhere, and he knew Gavin was on the road.

“Oh,” he felt a little badly for bothering him at such a time, “I guess I shouldn’t have called while you were driving?”

Gavin snorted, “Don’t worry about it,” he cleared his throat as he turned on his signal, “just was happy to meet your new lover.”

Connor blushed, “Thanks…” There was still the matter of what had happened between them on the phone that he knew he needed to discuss. He didn’t want Gavin getting the wrong idea or thinking he was in an open relationship. What they’d done was a one-time thing, and it wasn’t serious to Connor.

He tried thinking of the ways he could say it nicely without hurting his friend’s feelings.

“Look, Gavin,” he ground out slowly, “a-about what happened the last time we spoke…”

“Save it,” Gavin cut in immediately, sounding firm, but not angry, “it never should have happened, but I don’t really regret it, y’know?”

Again he was blushing and feeling a little dizzy, but he pushed that down and tried not getting excited over what Gavin was saying.

“I plan on being as faithful to Hank as I can,” he announced while gathering his clean clothes, “he hasn’t been with someone in a while, and he deserves someone good, Gavin.”

“Don’t we all.”

It was silent for a while, and then the loud sounds of traffic hit Connor’s audio receptors.

“I should let you go?”

Gavin grunted, “If you want-I’m just heading home, I guess.”

Perhaps now was the best time to talk about getting together? It seemed like a good entry point for that discussion.

“Maybe we can all go for drinks some time?”

“Who’s ‘we’?”

He fought the urge to sigh in frustration, “You know!! All of us! Bring your partner, too! I want to meet him!!”

It was silent for a moment before Gavin broke out in laughter, “Ooooh!! He-hehe-hehe!” He chuckled and snorted again, “Yeah, sorry, I’m kinda slow today, he-hehe-hehe.”

Connor seized up immediately.

That laugh…

That laugh…it was…

He’d heard it before…

God, he’d heard it before…it was as clear as day, and there was no way he could ignore it.

He began shaking, but before his teeth could slam and clatter together, he tightened his body and fists as he leaned against the counter in the bathroom for support. He was going to collapse. He tried holding it together, and he closed his eyes as he breathed out calmly.

_Laugh for me again…_

“I’m uh…” he forced a laugh, “I’m so eager to meet him.”

Engines roared as Gavin drove on, “Mhm.”

_Laugh for me…_

He tried again, “Is he as sexy as you?” Knowing he’d taken it too far, he hoped Gavin wouldn’t pick up on the character change too much. He hoped he wouldn’t as he gripped the phone and slammed a hand over his mouth and nose to keep from making too much noise while he waited for a reaction.

Gavin chortled, “He-hehe-hehe!!! You’re such a little shit, you know that, Connor?”

“Right…haha, yeah,” he shook violently and nearly burst out in a pained, fearful cry, “I should go, though…let me know when you want to grab drinks?”

“Sure thing, buddy.”

They hung up, finally. For a long time, Connor could do nothing but stare at his phone until it was shaking in his hands, and he dropped it eventually.

Connor crashed down to the floor, and his phone cracked against the bathroom tiles as he held tightly to his sides and wheezed in panic and fright. His bio-components were on fire, and they soon felt as if they were turning to mush as he lay curled in a fetal position on the floor, trembling and shaking. He knew he was reduced to his weakest form, but he couldn’t help it.

He’d lost everything in the span of one mere second, and there was no turning back the time.

His LED light turned all sorts of colors, which was a serious sign that something was wrong with him. He was unable to sense or feel anything except panic, fear, and dread.

_No…no…no!!!_

But there was no way he could deny it or refuse to believe it…he’d had his proof, now, and it was as real as the sun shining down in the day.

Gavin was the Detroit Reaper.

_No…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kay, I'm glad Connor and Hank got together, but...  
> Dang 😓


	21. L.O.V.E.

His keeper’s feet dragged along the floor as he paced up and down the main hall. Nines was seated on the second last step, his long legs resting down on the floor as he stared plainly at the sealed-off front door while his captor paced back and forth as he yanked and tugged at his hair.

Today, he was wearing all black, as was Nines. Today was a special, important day; they were going hunting.

But was his keeper nervous?

If so, why?

They’d gone over this plan numerous times, and staked out the city, maps, and zones for their next victim…

It should all go well; he was prepared, but apparently the human wasn’t.

Staring at the door intently, Nines was wondering about the vehicle with the little bomb strapped beneath it. He truly wondered if his keeper would bring up the topic or not, and if they were going to use that for their next victim…no, it would cause a scene, and they would be caught.

Stupid idea.

He glared over at the pacing, nervous human and sighed, “You’re making me regret this already.”

A growl came his way quickly, “Can’t a guy be a little flustered?!”

He shook his head, “Not one such as you, no.” Why even ask such a silly thing anyway?

“We’ve been over this; just go according to our plan, and we will be fine.” He hated that he had to repeat himself, and he truly hoped this was the last time.

His keeper nervously glanced at him, his eyes darting and flying all around the hall, “You sure as shit make it sound so fuckin’ easy!!”

“Of course; she’s a prostitute, no one will miss her…your words, right?” He scowled at his keeper, and the man met his scowl with one of his own that displayed nothing but raw and heated anger and malcontent.

He finally stopped pacing and stood before Nines, the tip of a booted leg hitting the bottom step, “It’s different when it’s comin’ outta your damn mouth, you know.’’ His eyes seemed to spit out hatred at Nines, but the android merely ignored it as he rolled his eyes and rose to his feet.

He felt a great deal of accomplishment and excitement when he towered over his shorter keeper. The power and height imbalance was evident as they stared at each other for almost two whole minutes before the shorter man backed down and gave in.

“Fine,” he clutched at his dark sweater, “let’s get the fuck goin’.”

He was about to spin around and head for the doors leading out the kitchen, but then Nines grabbed the back of his collar and yanked him around roughly. His soles scraped against the floor, and his chin knocked into the android’s neck while his hands came up to his shoulders to find purchase in something solid.

“The fuck?! You—”

Nines gripped his chin in a strong hand, “Shut up.” Before his keeper could retort or argue back, Nines let his tongue flicker outward, and he delivered one slow lick to his captor’s lower lip, and then swallowed down his lustful cries as he slammed their lips together roughly.

They stayed together like that for a while. Nines was enjoying how soft-yet rough-his captor felt against him. His rough stubble scraped against his skin, and while he didn’t have nerve endings and feelings directly communicating to his ‘brain’, his system registered that the sensation was rough and like sandpaper moving across his skin as they licked and bit into each other’s mouths.

Roughness was everywhere in this man; right from his fingertips that sought out Nines’ cheeks, down towards his kneecaps, and the heated arousal jutting forth from between his legs.

The moment his keeper rammed his hips into him, Nines broke out of the kiss and snapped out of the lustful haze. He pet his keeper on the cheek and shoulder, as if trying to console him or comfort him before they did what they sought out to do.

He shoved him towards the kitchen, never once keeping his eyes off the knife that he’d placed back in its rightful section among the others.

His keeper didn’t even notice it.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor banged on Hank’s front door with urgency. He knew it was an early Saturday morning, which more than likely meant that the older male was asleep still, and would be until the late day.

Hank didn’t answer the door, not even when he’d rang the doorbell at least four times.

He was immediately brought back to worries and fears of whether Hank was drunk or hungover as the first time he’d stumbled in his home, but that didn’t appear to be quite the case…

Sumo leapt up on a couch by the windowsills, and he licked the window excitedly when he scented and saw Connor. He grew more excited, and he began wagging his tail eagerly while barking and yipping. He licked the window a few more times before pressing his paws and snout against the glass, desperate for Connor to reach out and pet him.

Connor pounded on the glass, screaming out for Hank as he gazed past Sumo and towards Hank’s bedroom door. At least it was open, and after a few more seconds of brutally beating with his fists against the glass and Sumo whining and barking louder and louder, the bedroom door swung open further, and a shadowy figure stepped out.

It was Hank!

Connor felt mild relief flooding through his system when he saw the older Lieutenant rubbing his eyes as he stalked towards the kitchen, and then paused as he glared at Sumo. He yelled at the dog to stop barking, but as he rubbed his back and scratched at his messy bed-head, his eyes flew over towards the window.

Connor saw him gasp, and he nearly tripped over his feet before he made it to the window safely and flung it open.

Both of them gasped simultaneously as if they’d been about to drown. Fresh air blew inside the house, and stale air flew out, but Hank stuck his head out as he leaned in close to Connor while frantically looking and searching around the outside of his house, as if someone or something evil and vicious had chased Connor all the way towards his home.

When he saw no one and nothing else besides Connor, he sighed in relief. “Thought you were running for your li—”

Connor practically did a dive-roll inside the house. He leapt up and flipped, barreling inside in one smooth motion. Sumo backed away and thought it was play time, apparently. He circled Connor excitedly, his tail swishing and wagging as he wrapped his paws around Connor and yanked him down to the floor.

“SUMO!!” Hank grabbed his pet’s collar, but before he could start pulling him away, the large dog began licking and smothering Connor in his tongue.

Connor groaned as he tried pushing the large animal away, but he fell down on his chest in the process.

Sumo took the gesture inappropriately, and when Connor tried getting on his knees, he wrapped his legs around the android’s midriff and began humping him eagerly.

Hank went beet red and exploded, “SUMO!! YOU MORON!!”

Both Connor and Hank struggled with Sumo for a while, but they overpowered the animal together eventually.

Sumo whined as he sat down on the carpet, staring back and forth between his owner and Connor, wondering what they were doing.

Hank ran a hand through his hair and wiped some sweat off his brow, “I’m sorry about that, Connor, I—”

“Hank listen to me! We don’t have much time!” Connor interrupted, gripping Hank’s wrists in his hands as he pulled the older male towards him with a firm grip.

“Woah! Connor! Hang on!!” Connor repeatedly shook him, and Hank grew silent. He’d known Connor long enough to tell that something very serious was going on, and that he needed his attention, in a silent manner.

He was silent within seconds.

Connor took a deep breath and yelled, “GAVIN’S THE DETROIT REAPER!!!”

He’d shouted it loud enough for the whole street to hear it, but Hank wasn’t able to take the words in at once.

He squinted as his jaw dropped, “Gavin? Gavin!?”

“YES!!”

Sumo pressed a paw impatiently against Hank’s back, and he pushed it down. “Your buddy Gavin?!?”

Connor let out an exasperated sigh, “Do you know of another Gavin, Hank?!?!”

He held up both his arms as his entire body and system was alert and fully awake, now, “Alright alright!!” He shook in shock and panic, “H-how do you know this?!”

Sure, he didn’t like Gavin Reed from the first moment he’d met him, but to throw an accusation as _this?_ Connor really had to have some strong evidence, and he wanted to hear it.

He held onto Connor’s shoulder as he gave him a deep, stern look, “Are you sure?!”

Connor nodded, “Yes!! I recognized him by his laughter!!”

“His laughter?”

Again, Connor nodded with certainty, “After we met him together, I called him to tell him what you thought of him…”

Hank paled, “Wait,” Sumo’s snout appeared between their waists, and Hank shoved it gently out of the way, “did you actually tell him I think he’s a cream-pie douche-bag filling with extra ‘asshole’ on the side?”

Connor sighed, “NO!!!!”

Hank clapped in relief, “Oh thank god, because I—”

“HANK!!!”

He leapt back with fear in his eyes, “Okay okay!!” Sumo’s snout poked his abdomen again, and he gently placed a hand on it and pushed it down. “Just tell me how you know!!”

Connor growled in frustration. How could Hank be so dense?! “He has the same laugh pattern, Hank!!!”

“But how can you be sure based on one laugh?”

That was it.

While Connor dug into his pants pockets, Sumo’s nose sniffed at Hank’s legs, and he swatted his snout this time.

Finally, Connor pulled his phone out, and he pressed a button as he turned on a recording he’d uploaded from the memory of his conversation into the phone. Thankfully, being an android came into handy, even in the midst of having a panic attack of sorts…

Immediately, the conversation from the other day blared on when Connor turned the speaker on for Hank to clearly hear.

 _“Maybe we can all go for drinks some time?”_ His own voice blurted, and Hank gasped in retaliation, but Connor slammed a free hand over his mouth.

_“Who’s ‘we’?”_

Hank stopped moving when he heard Gavin’s deep, gravelly voice.

_“You know!! All of us! Bring your partner, too! I want to meet him!!”_

Hank frowned, “His _partner_??”

“SHHH!!!”

“Sorry,” he pushed Sumo’s nose away from his crotch.

_“Ooooh!! He-hehe-hehe!”_

Somehow, hearing that laugh over again still didn’t prepare him or desensitize him from its effects; he still shivered and trembled, and soon, Hank had to wrap an arm around him to steady him.

Hank whispered against him, “I gotcha, Connor, I gotcha…”

Gavin’s voice spoke on, _“Yeah, sorry, I’m kinda slow today, he-hehe-hehe.”_

Hank closed his eyes and held Connor tightly to him while he rewound that specific portion of the conversation and replayed it.

He pointed at his phone, “It’s him!! It’s him, Hank!!”

“Shhh,” he soothed and cooed, “I know, baby, I know.”

Connor shook harder and more violently, and Sumo soon began whining. Hank hushed him as well, while Connor gasped, “He took Nines!!”

Hank frowned at him, “We don’t know that for sure yet, Connor.”

“HE DID!” The android in his arms suddenly exploded, “I know he fucking did!!” His LED light spun red, and his eyes seemed black, suddenly, “That son of a bitch smiled and laughed with me knowing he took Nines!!”

Hank held him tightly, “What do we do?!?”

This seemed to spur something murderous on within Connor. He broke out of Hank’s embrace, and he glared out Hank’s front door. “I’m going after him!!”

“CONNOR!”

As he was taking the first few steps towards the door, Hank ran around him and blocked the way like a steel wall.

“Move, Hank!” He tried edging around the older male, but he extended his arms and blocked his path.

Hank shook his head stubbornly, “I’m not letting you go!”

Connor gave him a warning shove in the chest, “Move out of my way, Hank!!”

Sumo started whining and howling, and he retreated beneath the kitchen table as he stared up at his friends bickering and arguing. He suddenly seemed so small beneath the table, his eyes barely showing as he glanced up at them.

Connor took a step towards Hank with a stomp in his gait. He’d hoped it to be intimidating, but that wasn’t the case for Hank Anderson. The man simply glared down at Connor until he had backed away and roared in frustration.

“MOVE!!”

“NO!!”

“WHY NOT?!?”

“BECAUSE I’M GOING WITH YOU!!”

Connor’s thirium stopped pumping. It had to have…there was no other way to describe how he felt when his audio receptors had picked up what Hank had said.

He gaped at him, “What??”

Hank sighed, “You can’t take him out on your own, Connor,” he explained rationally while trying to keep them both calm.

Connor knew he was just as worried as he was, but he fought and struggled hard not to show it. He had to admire Hank for appearing calm. They were both a nervous wreck, after all the recent, sudden developments.

Hank’s hands shook, but he held them against the walls as he remained like a stone blocking Connor’s way. “Connor, we don’t even know where he lives…”

A dark brown eyebrow rose into the air, “Oh really?”

Hank gave him a look that was a mix between shock, confusion, and pain. “You didn’t go to his place, did you?”

“Of course not!” Connor hissed thinly while Sumo began grooming his paws. “But I just so happened to look up every ‘Reed’ member in North America, and it turns out his great grandfather was in fact a butcher.”

Hank gasped, “I totally thought he was fucking around when he said that’s what he did for a living…”

“Well, he _was,_ ” Connor added, but then a gruesome thought crossed both his mind, and Hank’s. They shivered as they nervously glanced at each other, and then at the floors.

“He _did_ say ‘butcher’, right?”

Connor nodded, “You don’t think he…that wasn’t…” He couldn’t even finish his sentence properly. After all, how could one even dare to talk about such things, unless they were beyond demented and a degenerate?

Seeing his repulsed look, Hank groaned, “That was a fucking hint, wasn’t it?”

“That bastard!!” Connor clawed at the walls with a hand while pulling at a few strands with another, “He was basically _proudly_ telling us who he was the entire time!!”

Hank held a hand out and cradled him to his chest, “Shhh, Connor…”

“No!!” Connor stepped away from him, but it wasn’t meant to hurt or offend Hank at all. He just needed space, but he wanted to get his thoughts out on the matter as soon as he could before he turned into a mountain of heated bio-components.

“Hank! His grandparents ran ‘Reed’s Meats’ back in the early 1950s!”

Hank nodded, “Yes, I remember my uncle shopping and ordering meat from that place, but I had no idea they were the same Reeds!!”

Sumo let out a little bark, almost as if indicating and announcing to them that he too was still a part of the conversation, and he didn’t like being left out. Hank merely threw him a nasty glare, and it must’ve been something very rarely done, for Sumo yelped and ducked his head back beneath the table, burying and hiding his muzzle between his chubby paws as he whined.

Connor gripped Hank with desperation as he cast him a pleading look that screamed out that he needed help, “Please Hank,” he begged with a pained look etched onto his face that made Hank’s heart sink, “Come with me now, and we can tell Fowler later!”

“We need back up, Connor!”

“There isn’t much time!!”

Hank looked at him with regret in his eyes, and they nearly turned teary and pink, “Why??”

He paused as he placed a hand on Hank’s chest right where his heart was, as if directly trying to connect with it.

“Because there’s a chance that Nines could still be alive somehow, and I don’t want to live in regret knowing we could’ve saved him if we didn’t waste time.”

That was all he needed to say. They both understood and felt the emotions, and Sumo soon even picked up on it. He padded over to them, gently batting Hank’s knees with his head until the older male sighed and rubbed his ears while Connor pet his back.

Hank stared at the front door, “I’ll drive, you tell me the address.”

Deal.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Nines felt his keeper throwing a dark leather jacket on him as he hid in the back of the van they’d parked in an alley downtown behind a small restaurant. Apparently, this was where the prostitute his keeper had been stalking worked the streets, and they were waiting for her to frequent this side of town.

It was a little uncomfortable in the back, but he was holding tightly onto the knife his keeper had given him.

“It’s my gift to you, Plastic,” he’d stated the moment they got into the van, “so don’t go and fuck this up for us!”

He promised he wouldn’t, and he then lay flat on the backseat next to some boxes and other items his keeper had loaded in the van to give off the appearance that he was just ‘moving’ items around same as anyone on any given day…

This was the perfect image they needed to have for their victim, lest she panic and scream for help…

No, that wasn’t going to happen. This was a perfect plan.

Even the dumping site was ideal…

His captor lit a cigarette, and soon, the entire van stunk of tobacco. Not that he minded it, however. At least the monster had the decency to roll down the windows and breathe it all out.

Soon, it became evident that he’d spotted her, and he snickered as he flicked his cigarette out the window.

“I see the woman of my dreams, Plastic,” he announced with a little laugh in his voice, “don’t fuckin’ move back there until I give you the signal, okay?”

He didn’t say anything.

His keeper whistled, suddenly, and he closed his eyes as he only had one image of what she looked like; tall, brunette, skinny legs, an hourglass figure, and she was about to enter college. She’d been kicked out of her mother’s house after stealing all her cash and trying to take her firearms, and had even run away from her juvenile detention center plenty of times.

A fighter was always a good thing, after all.

Fingers and knuckles rapped against the outside door of the van.

“Hey! Sweetheart!” His keeper let out another low whistle, “Mind comin’ over here for a sec?”

High heels clicked against the pavement, and then the van creaked and shifted. She’d possibly leaned against the open window.

Feminine perfume spilled inside, and it contrasted poorly with the tobacco remaining.

He still was careful not to move or make a sound.

“You looking for something, handsome?” Her voice fit her career choice; it dripped and oozed with sex and seduction. It definitely did the trick in looping men, and Nines felt dizzy hearing her. He clutched the knife tighter.

A chuckle came from his keeper, “Definitely, sweetheart,” he shifted in his seat, “wanna join me for a bit?”

She giggled, “Find somewhere good to talk; I’m kind of a party-girl around here.”

“I gotcha.”

Her heels made their way over to the passenger door, and it was open in another second. She probably didn’t weigh much, and he hadn’t even noticed the van dipping once she got in. Her perfume stank up the van next, and he was suddenly very much aware of her presence…

The engine purred, and they were slowly backing down out of the alley.

Jewelry clinked together, “You a collector of some sorts?”

She was no doubt referring to the boxes and items in the back, and he purposefully tightened himself so not to move an inch. It worked, and her jewels clinked together as she flipped her hair over her shoulders. It had a mixture of an earthy-yet fruity scent.

They drove on in silence for over ten minutes, and he thoroughly enjoyed all the time ticking down. Half the fun was planning the plan, and he had to lie dormant until he could spring forward…oh how he would delight in that moment. The look of horror and fear on her face while her heart pounded and hammered in her chest would definitely be worth it.

“Hey!” She suddenly screamed out, “You could’ve stopped in the empty garage!!”

“You take all your men there?” His keeper chuckled, and the car sped up ever so slightly.

She didn’t seem to notice it. She merely sighed in exasperation, “Okay, well you gonna stop anytime soon? We’re kinda close to the sewage treatment and dump facility…”

His system buzzed and vibrated lightly. He knew it was almost time. They were reaching the destination quickly, and it was only a matter of time before the magic words were spoken…

He relished each second that went by in sheer silence.

The woman grew more tense, “Umm, hello?” Her nasally voice whined, which was a far change from its seductive, sexy tone she’d no doubt used to lure plenty of clients with.

His keeper made a left turn and practically whispered out, “It’s a surprise I’m sure you’ll _love_.”

And there it was.

Love.

_Love…_

Handling the knife with purpose and care, he brushed aside the coverings and sprung up. He wrapped a hand around the headrest of the chair, and then clamped all his weight of his palm down over her seatbelt around her neck and shoulder, tightening it down on her and trapping her.

With his other hand, he held the knife around her throat carefully.

“WHAT THE FUCK?!?”

“Shhh…” Both he and his captor whispered while she strained her neck up and backwards, her hands coming up to clutch at her seatbelt.

Nines finally had a view of the outside world before them. It was a welcoming sight. The large, rusty sign that read: _Toxic Sewage Facility Treatment Center_ breezed past them, and a large, single warehouse was up ahead as the van pulled up along the dirt-gravelly driveway path. The dust and small stones flew up into the air, and the young woman began screaming as her fingers fought hard to press down on the button that rolled down the window.

Nines pressed down roughly on the handle of the knife, almost slicing just a bit of her skin. “Don’t do that,” he warned gently as he stared out the windshield before them, “I don’t want to have my fun ruined before it’s even begun…”

His keeper parked the car while the woman begged and cried for mercy.

“P-please!! Y-you don’t even h-have to do th-this!!”

Nines waited until the vehicle had completely stopped, and until his keeper had opened the passenger door.

She screamed as she struggled when he yanked her forward with a hand after unbuckling her belt.

“SHUT THE FUCK UP!!”

“SOMEONE HELLLPPP!!!”

Nines got out of the van as well, still holding the knife against her throat, and the moment the blade kissed her skin, she whimpered and closed her mouth. Her tears and mascara had run down and coated his hand, but it was all part of the glory of the experience.

This was real, and it was beautiful. He wouldn’t want to any other way.

The sky was deep blue, and there was a gentle breeze at their backs that seemed to usher them forward. They marched up towards the large, metallic door leading inside, and his keeper kicked the door open with a leg as he breathed in and smiled.

“Hmm,” this is perfect.

Nines smiled as he shoved the young woman inside as well, and she tumbled down by his captor’s feet with a ‘plop’. She scuttled and scooted backwards along the floor, trying to find a corner to hide out in. She pressed herself into the far right-hand corner, whimpering as she cradled her knees into her chest and wailed.

“LET ME GO!!”

His captor turned on a few lights, though they didn’t need many, as the blue skies and light pouring in the from the skylights and large windows was plenty for them.

They both smiled at her, and she shook and hiccupped.

“Wh-why’re you doing this?”

While his keeper went back to grab a small metallic chair abandoned within the facility, Nines knelt down as he played with the knife.

He could only smile at her as his teeth gleamed brightly in the light.

His answer was honest, and it was the best thing he could tell anyone in her position, currently.

“Because you were there.”


	22. He Who Saves a Single Soul

“Fuck! Why didn’t I bring the masking tape?”

“It’s not like anyone will hear her screams.”

“Yeah, but I’m gonna go deaf, Plastic.”

“Indeed.”

They sat back and let her scream, and scream, and scream. It had gone on for almost half an hour before she coughed and sobbed.

Nines smirked, “Throat’s sore?”

She wheezed in pain, “I want t-to g-go!!”

His keeper threw his hands in the air and they plopped down to his knees as he sat on the chair, legs spread obscenely open, “Bitch, this isn’t all about _you_ , you know!!”

Angry eyes studied Nines, “Women! Why do they want all the attention, Plastic??”

She slapped her frail hands against the dirty floors and threw her head back and wailed, “Y-you want money?? Is th-that it???”

His keeper rolled his eyes, “Basic bitch.”

Nines dug the knife into the floor a few inches away from her hand, and she screamed as she retracted her fingers and cradled them towards her chest.

He grinned coldly, “What’s wrong? I haven’t even touched you…”

“Yet…”

“Yet.”

She panicked, and began searching the warehouse for a way out. The entire place was furniture-less and empty, save for a few chairs, a few spare tires, broken light bulbs, glass, and old clothing and rags from squatters. If she’d wanted to make a weapon to defend herself, the best she could do with was the broken shards of glass, but then again, he was faster, and his keeper held the gun he’d concealed all along, now.

They’d traded weapons the moment they entered the large warehouse. His keeper tossed him the gun eagerly, but he liked and preferred working with the knife…while he grabbed the gun and had examined it for a while, he soon demanded the knife back. His keeper refused, and they were about to argue and fight, but then the moment the young woman screamed, they played catch with the weapons again.

It was all a game, and they loved it.

She saw them playing back and forth with such deadly weapons, and while she was in traumatic shock, she caught onto it all quickly, and knew her fate. She didn’t know who to beg for mercy, however, and while they studied their weapons and discussed how they were going to get rid of her, she bowed her head down and lay flatly against the floor while crying and calling out for her parents.

Nines fought the urge to roll his eyes, and his keeper sat up in his chair, “I’m getting bored…” he grinned at her, as if an idea just formed in his mind then, “—say, why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself before we start our work? It may help us get closer to you, and it will help us all on this little adventure!!”

She suddenly roared and slammed her back against the walls as she dragged her nails along them.

“GOD!!!!!!!!!! SOMEONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ANYONE!!!!!!!!!”

Nines slammed a hand down over her head in a flash, and her skull bashed against the floor.

His keeper winced, “Easy, babe,” he tsked and shook his head in distaste, “you don’t wanna knock her out cold, else we won’t have fun!”

“I don’t care in particular,” Nines hissed back at him while holding her bloodied head in a firm grip, “you and I have a different idea and sense of what ‘fun’ is.”

Immediately, his captor cast a dark look, “The fuck does that shit mean?”

The woman’s hands shook, and she tried cradling and inspecting the damage to her skull and forehead, “Please…”

Nines scowled at her, and then his keeper, “I say we end this now.”

“You mean just toss her into the murky-ass swamp back there?”

“That’s the idea.”

Hearing them plotting like that about her future, she began really trembling. Nines ignored her after a moment; she was far too predictable, and it was getting to be very tedious. He stared out the large windows and took in the wonderful view. It had been so long since he’d seen the sun and the earth this way…it was rapturous, and he was ravenous. He shifted up and gazed out around the swamp and sewage dumping grounds, where plenty of other discarded items, barrels, toxic waste sludge, and glass and metal lay about, the black garbage bags that held them ripped and torn open by crows and other wildlife.

The trees around the swamp were sickly, thin, fruitless, and they seemed dead…it all seemed to be the setting of more like a graveyard than a sewage treatment facility, but then again, things came here to rot…

How fitting.

His keeper’s eyes glided over the knife, and a hungry look was upon his face, “I want to skin her…”

The young woman screamed, and then gasped out a choked cry, “N-N-NO!!!”

“I wasn’t askin’ your opinion,” his keeper merely brushed his clothes off, as if wishing he were someplace else.

Nines rolled his eyes and glared at him, “A skinning?” He tossed the knife at him, “So do it, then.”

“PLEASE!”

Blue eyes met his own and a sneer came his way suddenly, “This is _your_ initiation, Plastic,” he sat up, eyes never leaving the android before him, “this is the real test…”

Indeed it was. They knew that there was no going back, now. Either he killed this woman, or…

He gazed down at her and found her looking at their weapons, and then she closed her eyes when she knew he was studying her. Her shoulders violently shook as she begged to be let go.

“Come on, Plastic,” his keeper threw her a pathetic glance, “just fuckin’ end her suffering like she’s practically wantin’ you to do!”

“NOOOOOOOOO! I WANT YOU TO LET ME GO RIGHT N—”

Nines kicked her in the face, and she fell down like a fly immediately.

“Plastic!! Enough with that!!”

Turning around and glaring at him, Nines then grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet with minimal effort, “I’m going to drain her dry, then toss her into the swamp.”

His keeper’s jaw fell, but they were already making their way past him and towards the door.

“HEY! WAIT!!”

Her body weighed practically next to nothing as Nines tugged on her thin arm while she spat out blood down by the floor, leaving a messy trail in her wake that made the floor glow crimson.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

“Hank! Stop the car!!”

The car came to a halt, and the brakes screeched as Hank’s foot slammed on the pedal. Hank himself was slammed against the steering wheel chest-first, but Connor barely moved. He tapped against the window by his side as he undid his belt.

“It’s here!!”

“Connor! The damn engine’s still running!!” He called out after him, but Connor was already running at full speed.

Hank groaned, “God damn it!!” He had no other choice but to chase after him.

They both made their way down the grassy hill, Connor obviously reaching the old, abandoned ranch before Hank did. He didn’t stop running as he leapt over the barbed fence and was careful enough to avoid sharp, rusted farming equipment that was decades old.

Hank was studying the surroundings for a while, and he nearly leapt up in fright when Connor pulled open a barn door. It squeaked loudly while Hank was bent over and examining a broken seesaw.

As they ventured further, things turned a lot more disturbing.

Old dolls with chains looped around their necks were found hanging from hooks in the walls of the barn and around its perimeter. A chainsaw with dried, dark-brown stains all over it was left in the corner of the barn, and Hank nearly stepped on it as he stared at Connor’s back.

“Connor!” He panted as he tried keeping up with the long strides the android took, “Be careful! We don’t know what the fuck’s in here!”

Connor had evidently already scanned the empty barn, and he turned around to face Hank as his LED light flashed yellow. “There’s nothing here, Hank,” he looked behind him at the doors, “we should check out the main house!!”

Hank groaned, “We won’t find anything—”

Connor was already heading towards the old mansion connected to the old farmstead. Luckily, the front door was half-broken down, and they didn’t have to struggle with it to head inside. As soon as they had, Hank covered his mouth and nose while gagging, almost.

“The f-fuck is that smell?!?!”

It was a putrid, horribly foul smell, at that. Connor couldn’t identify it right away, but all his senses were lit up as they made their way through the abandoned mansion.

The walls were crumbling and practically turning to dust. The clay and cement were broken, the wallpapers were torn, leaks were everywhere as waterlines and pipes were rusted, burst open, and visible. The floorboards were practically black with dirty and mold, and the smell seemed to be coming from the kitchen…

He led Hank towards it, and it seemed simple enough. Nothing was out of the ‘ordinary’; a fridge, old-fashioned stove, and an over-turned kitchen table and broken chairs faced them. The sink was filled to the top with broken, old dirty dishes that even a hundred rounds of washing couldn’t save given how filthy and far gone they all were while bugs and worms crawled along their surfaces.

Connor was about to turn and leave when he saw the fridge door slightly open…

He nodded at it, “I think the smell is coming from there!!”

Hank groaned and yanked his coat up around his mouth and nose, “Hurry!” He wanted to leave, and Connor couldn’t blame him. He dashed towards the fridge door, and after waiting for a few seconds to collect himself together, he closed his eyes and pulled the door open all the way.

There was indeed a horrible smell coming from within the fridge. The lightbulbs were burnt out, and it was no longer working…the food inside the fridge had completely rotted. Most of it hardly resembled anything edible, even, and Connor reluctantly brushed it aside as he examined and scanned it quickly. It all fell apart the moment he touched it, and he had no idea how longer the food had even been there to appear the way it did.

The lettuce and cabbages were almost dark brown, and they stank even more badly when Connor shoved them aside. Other food items such as cheese and oranges in bags were green and beyond molded. It all stuck to the bag and exploded in slime, and Connor groaned as he finished searching the fridge.

He slammed the door and gaped at Hank, “It was just rotten food…”

“No shit!” Hank sighed, “This place has been abandoned for a while, Connor, and I doubt the Reaper is hiding out here.”

Connor looked down at the floor in defeat, “But…but I thought…”

“We’re leaving, now.”

Sighing in frustration, Connor moved past Hank and glanced around the house for the last time. Sadly, as Hank stated, there was no evidence available to even suggest that Gavin was ever here, or had used the property to carry out his crimes.

Nothing seemed suspicious; it was just a house with old walls that were wearing down, and bricks that had been hidden beneath wallpaper on the second floor of the house…

“HANK!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The older Lieutenant nearly flew up so far that his head bashed lightly against the concave ceiling. “WHAT!!??! CONNOR!!”

The android pointed up the old, dark staircase, “I SAW SOMETHING!!”

“YOU GAVE ME A FUCKING HEART ATTACK!”

Connor didn’t let him finish his words; he was already tearing his way up the steps. His footsteps thundered on the torn, dirty, rotten carpet, and the wooden boards of the steps. Due to the severe damage from water, other natural elements, rot, and termites, the steps caved in. Connor’s legs crashed down, and he gripped the banister as dust and dirt flew up into the air.

He grunted as Hank tried helping him up, but he was determined  to ascend, one way or another.

“CONNOR!!”

He didn’t listen as he leapt up the steps, and every time his shoes barely tapped against the wood, it broke and descended down into a little messy pile at the bottom of the staircase. It resembled a small hill, and Hank growled in anger as he tried gripping the banister and walls so he could make his way up after Connor by climbing on the little leftover bit of stairs that were miraculously still clinging to the sides of the walls.

It took him well over three minutes, but his determination paid off.

“Connor!!”

Hank nearly slammed into him had he not looked up at the very last minute. Connor was standing statue-still, and he gazed openly with his jaw hanging at a large, rectangular picture hung within an old, dusty and cracked picture frame. It nearly covered the entire length of the wall in the second-floor hallway, and it seemed to be a family portrait of sorts…

Hank gazed and studied at it for a while, and he panted as he tried calming down.

“What is it?”

Connor pointed at it, and then down at the golden plaque resting perfectly in the center of the frame, “The Reeds, 2007…”

Two long rows of men and women stood posing together, and the picture was rather clear, but definitely dated. The cracks almost hid most of the faces, but Connor was able to scan each member of the family, and he pointed at them while naming them out loud for Hank to hear.

“Majorie Reed, born in 1969. Profession; homemaker, housewife…I think she is the grandmother.”

Hank rolled his eyes, “Perfect.”

Connor kept going, “Her husband; Edward Patrick Reed…head of the Reed ranch and butchery…”

“Should this interest us, Connor?”

Connor took a step towards the picture, and he ran the palm of his hand against the glass of the frame right where a little boy was seated on the floor next to a Golden Retriever puppy.

“Gavin Reed…he should be about five years old here, I think…”

Hank sneered as he glared at the young Gavin caught in the photo smiling and nuzzling against the furry puppy, “A monster in the making,” he added gruffly.

Connor tapped against the glass a little fearfully, as if the glass would shatter, and the people within the portrait would spring out and attack him. He backed away from it, looking from side-to-side and studying the walls and picture frame carefully.

His LED light went red, “Hank…”

He advanced towards the side of the portrait and tilted his head. This was what he’d seen when they were downstairs…

The bricks on the wall beneath the family portrait were hiding something; some of them were badly chipped and some were slightly out of place, as if someone had recently made an adjustment or two to the wall.

“This wall is hiding something, Hank!” Connor explained quickly, “Let’s move the portrait!”

Hank sighed in exhaustion, but he didn’t argue with his partner. Connor stood at one end, and Hank at the opposite.

“One, two, three!”

They lifted the portrait off the wall and set it down gently on the floor. Hank glared at the young Gavin Reed before Connor pressed himself against the wall. It was decorated with floral wallpaper that was signed, burned, yellowed, and still wet with something…

And it smelled horribly.

Connor withdrew a pocketknife and began slicing and tearing away at the bits that were so wet that they came and slid off without much effort.

“Hey!” Hank tried stopping him, but Connor tore off as much of the wallpaper as he tossed bits of it down to the floor. The rest of the bricks that had been hidden beneath the wallpaper was revealed, and in less than a few minutes, Connor began punching and kicking at the bricks.

Over and over, his shoes and hands thudded roughly against the brick wall. He was kicking up dust and debris, and Hank could do nothing but push aside the fallen bits as he coughed and fanned himself before he choked.

“Connor…”

“Let me do this!”

Hank ran his hands through his hair and grit his teeth. He could only watch as Connor broke and chipped through the rest of the wall, using his inhuman strength to keep him going.

The entire house practically caved in and shook every time Connor kicked at the bricks, but eventually, after much hard work, it was in fact revealed that the portrait had hidden and kept away a secret…a very dark, secret.

Hank waved and fanned the air around him, impatient for all the dust to finally settle, whereas Connor had already scanned the now-open walls.

He gasped loudly, and his breath died down in his throat with what sounded like a wail starting to form.

“Oh my god…”

Hank nearly pulled out every last strand of hair on his head as he fell onto the floor, his eyes unable to be closed and torn away from the sight he witnessed, then.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

The door of the old warehouse was shoved open when the young woman’s body was thrown against it by Nines. He roughly handled her while she dripped blood and saliva everywhere, crying and whimpering as she shook. She made no move to try to escape, as the knife he held was pressed firmly against her back and jabbed into her skin anytime she made a jerking motion in one particular direction.

Behind them, the keeper gripped his gun and waved his hands in the air, “Plastic! Where the fuck are you goin’ with her?!?!”

Nines glared at him for a second while he held onto the woman tightly, pulling her against his broad chest, “I’m getting rid of her, just like you asked.”

His keeper frowned, and a dark look flew across his eyes. His scar suddenly seemed more hideous, almost as if it were an alien object or thing that controlled his emotions and behavior. It practically wriggled on his skin as he snarled at the android.

“You moron! This wasn’t the way it was supposed to go down!”

Nines hissed, “It’ll be done whatever way I want!!”

The woman tried slapping him, but he snatched her wrist in a hand and twisted it.  She howled in pain and he screamed at her to be quiet.

“You’re ruinin’ everythin’!!” His keeper screamed as he kicked some plastic bags and glass at their feet, but Nines dragged the woman by the back of her neck after letting her wrist go.

Nines spat out at him, “How about you keep playing with your new friends, and I’ll play with mine!”

The thin woman squirmed, but Nines held the knife against her throat as he shoved her in the direction of the sewage swampy waters.

“What’re you talkin’ about?!” His keeper was behind him, and he picked up the pace, suddenly appearing at his side as he scratched his own head with the butt of the gun.

The woman looked at it and screamed in fright, but Nines kicked her in the back and forced her to fly forward. She landed on the brown-green unhealthy, dead grass, stumbling in the dirt and rolling a bit before she scrambled backwards.

Nines grabbed her and spun her around to fall flush against his chest, the tip of the blade poking into her cheek, “You and your android friend!!”

A frown came his way, “Connor?”

Suddenly, at the sound of the name, he nearly fell back. His system felt somehow upturned, and he sensed and experienced what was akin to dizziness as his mind buzzed and thoughts swam and churned like an angry ocean during a storm.

Who was Connor?

Why did that name sound so familiar?

He searched his mind for memories and thoughts, but nothing was there…nothing was left!

His attention was demanded back to the young woman. She was steadily crawling out of his view, and he snarled as he bent down and scooped her easily off the ground.

“Do it properly, or I’ll shoot you both right now!”

A gun was suddenly aimed in his face, and Nines stared at it. He took in all its features, ignoring the threat of being put down as he looked up at his keeper holding it with both hands. He was obviously trying to line up and steady the shot and aim, and it made him sneer.

He puffed out his chest, “Lower that, I’m ending it now.”

“Ending it now?”

“Yes.”

He looked at the sobbing woman, her clothing half-torn and tattered from being thrown down into the stones and dirt.

“What do you—”

Nines ground out quickly, “Do you trust me?”

This was a question his keeper had either not been expecting, or one he had. It was impossible to read his facial expression, but something between them shifted and changed drastically.

Even the woman seemed to sense and feel it, and she seized up as she looked at the sky and held her hands together in almost a praying and kneeling fashion.

“H-help me…”

Nines craned his neck at his keeper, “Do you trust me?”

Their eyes darkened and they stood almost a foot away from each other.

An eternity went by, and the clouds gathered above, giving the world a very dark appearance. Even wildlife and animals didn’t seem to wander into this area specially, and they truly were all alone after all…

His keeper’s brows furrowed, and he opened his mouth slightly.

“I do.”

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Hank coughed and heaved. He knew it was only going to be a matter of time before he threw up, but he fought and struggled hard not to do that in front of Connor. The android was already in his own state of shock, and he cried out a few times in fright as he reeled back and studied what the wall had buried within its corners all along…

Three human corpses were sitting down within the wall, each of them tucked and leaning their heads against the corpse beside them in a neat little row as if they were so comfortable to be there. The wood was rotten and infested with worms, maggots and flies, and it made Hank physically sick as he gagged before grabbing Connor and turning him around.

The android didn’t budge, however.

“CONNOR! GET AWAY FROM THERE!!”

He refused to, and he scanned each corpse while Hank turned away from the stench and buried his mouth and nose against his shirt collar.

“They’ve been here for almost a few months…”

Hank coughed, his eyes watering, “I don’t give a shit!”

“THEY’RE THE REEDS!!!”

His jaw dropped as he really thought about what Connor had just said. “What?!”

Connor looked at the first corpse, which was beyond emaciated. Plenty of maggots had laid eggs in the empty eye sockets, and the way the corpse was staring straight at them with its face angled ahead was just…unbecoming and evil.

It made Hank shudder, and he looked at its old and brown clothing. It had all been once a white dress…perhaps a wedding dress?

“This is Krystal Reed…Gavin’s mother…”

Hank closed his eyes and trembled, forcing himself to get it together after a moment or two of panicked breathing. “I’ll take your word on it, Connor,” he whispered out as he looked at the male corpse next to Krystal, “and this must be the husband.”

“Correct.”

He uttered a dry laugh, “Jesus Christ…”

Connor didn’t look at the corpse that was dressed in a tuxedo for long, but he whispered, “Josh Reed…”

“They’re all fucking evil monsters, Connor!” Hank interrupted loudly, “I don’t care who the last corpse is!”

Connor gasped. As he studied the last corpse that was practically leaning with its head tucked against Josh Reed’s chest, he said, “This is the grandmother, though!”

Hank growled impatiently as he kicked at the baseboards, “Who cares?! So they’re all dead! What does it matter?”

The world was way better off without them anyway, and they just needed to call Captain Fowler and the rest of the DPD and let them do the rest! They had their man and that was good enough! There wasn’t a need to fuck around here in the abandoned mansion and ranch any longer!

Hank made a grab for Connor’s arm, but he took a step towards the corpses in the wall, and then looked down at something that was stuck between the grandmother’s boney fingers…

Reading his next moves, Hank shook his head and grunted, “Connor, don’t!”

It was too late; Connor yanked the object out of her hands.

While Hank gagged again, Connor held it up to his eyes. “It’s a piece of paper!”

Hank panted, “You shouldn’t have touched that! It’s evidence!”

“It’s a news article on the Reeds…”

Hank looked up at him as he held a hand over his stomach, “What does it say?”

Curiosity be damned.

Taking a deep, steady breath, Connor read it all.

“Massacre at the Reed family ranch leaves Detroit baffled, as the grandfather, Mr. Edward Patrick Reed, was initially suspected and later on named a person of interest…”

Hank growled as his stomach churned in contempt and disgust, “Fucking bastard did it to his own family!”

Connor read louder, “Unfortunately as a turn of events came out, Edward Reed had a solid alibi; he was hospitalized after sustaining a hip injury after going skiing with his wife. Authorities initially questioned the second remaining Reed member, Gavin Reed, but he was out of town the day the murders took place…”

“I don’t give a shit; he did it!” Hank accused, turning around and looking down at the broken staircase. “Jesus Christ,” he whispered, “we have to get the fuck out of here!”

“It doesn’t make sense,” Connor stated as his LED light turned yellow and red numerous times.

“Huh?” Hank spun around and scowled at him, “What’s there to get? Fucker killed his whole fucking family, and then probably the grandfather when he got out of the hospital!” His eyes widened, “Hell! He probably made the old man end up there to begin with!”

Connor held up a hand and shook his head, “No!!”

“What do you mean ‘no’?!?”

“Edward Reed lived for at least another five years after the death of his entire family members,” Connor stated, his eyeballs moving from left to right as he read through the rest of the news article.

“In fact, it was Gavin who gave him the best and most expensive funeral, and his death was a natural one…”

Hank’s jaw dropped, “The son of a bitch idolized him…”

Connor was about to read on some more, but Hank already had enough. He grabbed Connor’s wrist and pointed down at the large, rectangular picture frame.

“Turn it over, now.”

Feeling confused, Connor didn’t move at first. Hank rolled his eyes, “I saw something behind the fucking thing when we lowered it off the wall together!”

Eager to find out what it was, Connor grabbed one end, and Hank grabbed the other yet again. They turned it down onto its front, and the glass cracked even more when Hank prematurely let it go and slammed it against the old floors.

As Hank had correctly pointed out, something indeed was on the back…

It was a handwritten note of sorts, but it contained a message in only one sentence.

“ _Grandpa knows how to make a home, and there’s no place like home. 1003 MilkWood Street.”_

Hank gasped, “It’s an address…”

Connor was already working on locating it, and he mapped out the fastest route to it.

They didn’t have a moment to lose, and he was already helping Hank towards the broken steps.

“Let’s go.”

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

“Give me the gun.” Nines pointed at his keeper’s weapon which was lowered, but only slightly. If he wanted, he could raise it in an instant, and he’d be done for.

His keeper snarled immediately and held the gun tighter, “Why the fuck should I do that, for?”

Nines gripped the young woman’s long hair in a hand and dragged her over closer to the edge of the large swamp that was filled to the brim with toxic sewage water and other abandoned and discarded things. They all floated along the surface, and bobbed in the water…if it was even considered to be water.

Nines turned her around and tapped the blade against her back, “Don’t move.”

“D-don’t th-throw me in there!!” She shrieked and cried violently, but Nines was already facing his captor.

“The gun.”

He shook his head defiantly, “No.”

“I need it to get rid of her.” His fingers twitched and ached for it, practically.

His keeper turned the safety off, “I thought we were gonna skin the whore?”

This was a turn of events neither of them had expected, and Nines scanned the gun as best as he could. His vision was horrible, but he knew that the man meant to kill him if he did one wrong thing.

He frowned at him and boldly took a step towards him while the young woman cradled herself and shook at the edge of the swamp.

“Why do you want to kill her so badly? Hmm?” His feet crunched in the dirt as he took long, slow, measured steps. His keeper’s eyes fell to the ground and he gazed at his feet, studying each step he took before growling at him to stay back.

“What has she done?”

What had the rest of them done, for that matter?

His keeper stuck out his chin boldly, “Why the fuck do you care?”

The android grinned, “It’ll be much more amusing for me if I knew their stories…”

He wasn’t sure if the man was going to give in or not. He merely rolled his eyes as he sighed and scratched his arm, and then held onto the gun tighter.

“Consider this atonement, Plastic.”

“Atonement?” This was something he hadn’t been expecting at all. Whatever happened to the thrill of the hunt? The joy of smelling blood in the air? Whatever happened to the sound of screams before they died down in someone’s throat as they coughed and choked up blood? What was this answer he was given?

He turned his nose up at him, “What?”

His keeper snarled, “Did you ever stop to wonder why the Asian woman had the E with her?”

He looked down, “No…you put it there…”

“I didn’t; she was trading sex for drugs, Plastic.”

Nines snorted, “No, don’t you lie to me now.”

He absolutely refused to believe it, but for some reason, he shut his mouth and let his keeper rant on.

“It’s not a lie, babe,” he kept his eyes on the woman behind Nines, and then looked back at him with seriousness in his eyes, “they all did somethin’ to deserve punishment.”

No…no…no way was this right…

The Detroit Reaper wasn’t some kind of ‘godly’ or angelic savior that was rewarding good people and punishing bad ones…no way! Not even if he’d stalked his victims and had indeed put together that they lived double lives…

But he was curious and way too far dragged deeply into this not to inquire. Something just didn’t line up, and he hated that he’d never asked this question well ahead.

“What-what do you mean exactly?”

His captor hissed, “Want me to spell it out for you?”

The woman behind them backed up a little and slammed into the android’s back. “P-please!” She started shaking violently as she looked back and forth between them and the horribly foul swamp, “I c-can’t!”

His keeper pointed at her, “Take this bitch for instance,” he tilted his head at her, looking her up and down briefly before he snorted, “Did you know she’s pregnant?”

At once, both Nines and the woman gasped and looked over at him, giving him their full, completely undivided attention.

The young female screamed, “YOU ASSHOLE!!”

“A pregnant hooker hookin’ around and usin’ drugs and alcohol…you don’t think that’s gonna make the baby come out to be all fucked up, Plastic?”

Nines roared, “NO! YOU’RE FUCKING LYING TO ME!! YOU’RE LYING!!”

He took two steps forward, the gun pointed at the woman now, “LOOK UP HER NAME IN YOUR FUCKIN’ SYSTEM OR HOWEVER YOU BASTARDS DO IT, THEN!” He reached around Nines and violently tugged her away from the swamp.

“STOPPPPP!!”

She’d been flung down by his feet, and his keeper’s free hand was searching through the back pocket of her tight, black-jean mini skirt quickly. Within seconds, he yanked out a wallet, and he tossed it over at Nines.

“Fuckin’ look at it yourself!”

Nines caught it in midair, but didn’t immediately open it. A part of him didn’t want to know anything about this woman, fearing that his keeper could have been right about her the whole time…and possibly the others…

No…

The gun was pointed at the back of her head, and she flung herself down on the brown grass, eager to hide away from it.

“LOOK!!!”

Nines felt his jaw dropping, but he was still frozen and paralyzed.

“Do it, or I’ll fuckin’ put a bullet through her brain right now.”

He nodded, “I’m opening it, I’m opening it now…” He did just that; opening the wallet with the pink butterfly on the front and searching through it. What he was supposed to be looking for was a mystery, however.

The woman did have a driver’s license, but it was expired. Her name was Melanie Wardell. He closed his eyes and had half a flow of information before it was cut off due to the high amount of damage he’d received while in his keeper’s care. Trying not to let that affect him, he ran another scan as he went through the rest of her cards.

She had a library card in her possession as well, a few expired tickets, and a note…

Nines unfolded it as he read through it.

“ _Ms. Wardell, this letter is to confirm that you are scheduled to have an abortion next Friday at 11:25 PM in Select Specialty Hospital - Northwest Detroit. We encourage you to arrive at least half an hour prior to your appointment for parking spaces and waiting times.”_

He didn’t need to read anything else. He threw the wallet down as if it’d burned his hands, and he roared as he kicked dirt near her body as she clung to the keeper’s legs and whined.

“You!! You!!” He threw his head back and screamed down at her, as if she’d wounded him.

His keeper scowled at them both, “I fuckin’ told you.”

Nines quickly recovered from his little panic attack and freak out. He needed to know more. Just because this one turned out to be true, didn’t mean the Asian woman was a cheating drug addict, and what about the man who had the flat tire?

The bomb…

The bomb had surely been placed there by his keeper, this monster, no??

“Alvin Matthew Parker,” the monster pushed out with an air of impatience as he tilted his head down at the pleading, sobbing woman.

Nines raised an eyebrow, “Excuse me?”

His keeper looked fed-up and bored, “He was the motherfucker with the red, curly hair who cried out for his one true love right before we gutted him, or have you forgotten these already, dumbass?”

As he spoke about their former victim, the young woman drew the connections and connected the dots. Knowing this was a fate she would share as well, she nearly vomited as she clutched at the grass and dirt in her thin fingers.

Kneeling down before her, the heartless monster glared at her while pressing the gun over her skull, “Yeah that’s right, bitch,” he growled thinly at her while grinning coldly, “your turn is next, and I promise you, it won’t be any less brutal than the previous ones…”

Nines shook his head as he steadied himself on both legs, the world spinning before him. “Tell me about Alvin Matthew Parker NOW!”

“What’s there to know about him?” His keeper pet the woman on the head with the gun, rubbing it back and forth along her skull almost soothingly and gently.

“He was a fuckin’ gun enthusiast, an arsonist, and he loved making homemade explosives.”

Nines refused to believe it, “You’re still lying to me!!”

A shrug was his only response, “Fine, believe what you want, Plastic,” he looked up at him with both eyebrows raised high, despite a cold expression being on his face, “but you at least know Melanie’s story, don’t you?”

Nines shook his head and placed a hand over his forehead. How could he think in such a state??

“DON’T YOU!?!?” His captor stood to his feet, gun pointed at the skies above.

It was so hot…so fucking hot…the sun was beating down on them, and it made him nearly fry and melt into bits and pieces as he closed his eyes and practically fainted down into the grass next to the sobbing, hysterical woman.

His keeper seemed unaffected by this, and he continued coolly, “Now the only question is, do you see what I see, Plastic?”

Nines snapped right there and then. He’d had enough of the tormenting, the games, the lies, the cheating, and the fact that he had no identity anymore. This creature had already robbed him and stripped him of his previous life, his enjoyment, his sense of purpose and being, his sexuality, his mind, and his heart, now. What else was there to lose and give? What more did he possibly want?!?!?

Gritting his teeth tightly and clamping his jaw so his molars and wisdom teeth were grinding against each other brutally, Nines struggled with himself countless times for a long time before he spat out, “MY NAME’S NINES! YOU STUPID FUCK!!”

At least he had his identity still intact, and he was going to die with that, at least. There was no way he was going to give up and just be an unknown, a forgotten, a ‘John Doe’. He refused to die this way, and he was going to let this vicious psychopath know that despite his efforts, he hadn’t broken the last bits of his sanity down, and never ever would be able to.

At once, his keeper fell to his knees as he wailed out like a child, “WHAT ABOUT ME, NINES?!”

Nines opened his eyes widely at him, almost having missed what he’d said.

“WHAT ABOUT ME?!?”

His voice had been as loud, though it hardly echoed in such a messy, disgusting heap of nothingness.

His keeper shook like a leaf in the wind, “WHAT ABOUT ME?? YOU ASSHOLE!!!”

Of course he would go and make this all about himself…this was precisely what psychopaths were capable of doing, and that was never going to change. They always needed to have pity, the limelight, the attention, and now he was playing a victim?

Nines wasn’t going to let him get away with it, and he extended a hand, almost reaching for the gun, “Fucking hand it over, and let’s finish this NOW!”

“You—” the man coughed and wiped his eyes. He was actually crying?! Since when did monsters cry?

“Don’t give me your crocodile tears,” Nines spat with venom and hatred as he leaned forward, almost looming over the young woman who was cowering down in the grass still.

A cough came his way again, “It’s n-not like th-that…”

“You’re vile, and I don’t want to—”

His keeper suddenly pointed at himself while he laughed a pained, dry laugh, “Nines,” he shook his head in sadness, “if that’s even really your fuckin’ name, I—”

Nines practically leapt and pounced on him then, “I’M TELLING YOU THAT’S WHO I AM!” His thirium was boiling, and he felt as if he was going to overheat for sure, but that didn’t stop him at all; it only fueled him to carry on.

“THAT’S MY NAME! THAT’S ME AND MY IDENTITY, AND YOU NEVER BOTHERED FIGURING IT OUT, DID YOU?!?”

The woman trembled and practically went limp on the grass, as if he was yelling and pointing out these questions and accusations at her instead.

The keeper merely shrugged while tears soaked his cheeks, “I was honest with you too, you know.”

Again, the issue of morality and ethics had come up between them. It wasn’t too long ago when his keeper had screamed at him that he somehow was ‘honest’ and ‘sincere’. It’d made him laugh then, and it’d made him laugh now.

Nines spat at the ground, “Don’t you fucking dare talk about being ‘honest’, you stupid son of a—”

His keeper threw his head back and stared at him with tears in his eyes and bloodshot eyeballs, “TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE! REMEMBER?!?”

Nines squinted at him in confusion, “What?”

“THE GAME, FUCKER, REMEMBER?!”

Leaning over the woman, Nines placed a hand on her shoulder, which she tried getting away from as she howled and cried in pain and anguish.

He raised a dark brown eyebrow, “What does the game have to do with—”

Again, he was interrupted as his keeper slammed the gun on the ground by the woman’s nose, which made her bite her lower lip and shake, “THAT WAS YOUR FUCKING ANSWER TO EVERYTHING, DICKWAD!!”

He could only scowl as his LED light flickered, the first sign of confusion to a higher degree running and coursing through him. He remembered the game; this beast had given him all lies, however…what had been the truth?

Placing a hand on his knee, the monster before him slowly leaned back on his heels, “I gave you everything you needed on that night, you fuckin—”

“YOU ARE THE DETROIT REAPER!” Nines grabbed a bunch of dried grass and flung it into his eyes. The monster growled angrily, falling backwards as he wiped his eyes and shook his head. He blinked rapidly and used his shirt to brush out the dirt and clean out his eyes while the woman crawled closer towards the other side of the field.

Nines stopped her by placing his hand on her back, and she curled into herself and shrieked in fright.

“You lied to me!” Nines repeated it over and over and over, trying to make it a reality as best he could. There had to be a chance he was telling the truth, but if it was there and if it existed, he wanted to deny it and push it out of his mind as best as he could, otherwise he would…

No…

The evil monster spat out dirt as he rubbed his palms on his dusty and dirty jeans, “I obeyed the rules like I promised I would, and you didn’t even fucking understand who I was, what I was doing, or what I represented.”

But he was the Detroit Reaper, that was already established, they already knew it. He quickly thought of the next ‘lie’ during the game.

Did he like Nines? The sexual and intimate acts they’d performed together had been nothing short of violent and deadly, but he knew that some basic level of attraction and lust had to be brewing between them, at least…why else would they…?

He shook his head and held it in both hands as he screamed, “Then you…you!!!”

A nod came from the man, “Yes, think about it, shitbird,” he snarled in vitriol as his eyes grew even more red, “what else is there?”

He knew the answer, but he wasn’t willing or ready to say it out loud. When he’d hesitated and paused, his keeper bashed the gun over the woman’s skull. It practically cracked under the sheer force and brutality, and Nines screamed in anger.

“DON’T! STOP!!!!”

“YOU TELL ME WHAT ELSE IS THERE!” His voice was hoarse and raw, but there was no denying the amount of emotions spilling forth from those lungs and vocal cords.

There was only one last thing left, and while he could still do something about this situation, he would. He _had_ to. Perhaps he couldn’t save himself, but he had to save this woman.

He looked at the weapon the creature was wielding, and a pleading, begging look crossed his features. He softened his expression and stance, and the man relaxed almost immediately as he stared at him for a while as tears poured down his cheeks and stained the dry grounds. The grass soaked it all up quickly, and his chest caved in and out as he panted and moaned softly in sadness.

Nines kept his eyes on the gun, and soon, his fingers twitched, and he stretched them out towards the hand holding it, “Please give me the gun, Gavin.”

Gavin.

_Gavin._

_“My name’s Gavin…”_

A small smile cracked its way on his dry lips, and he chuckled a few times before he wiped his eyes, “Now you remember.”

Of course he did. He hated that he had, but he’d no other choice. Nines knew he wanted to help this woman, especially since learning she was with child. If there was one thing he refused to be, it was a child killer.

“Gavin, please…”

He looked down at the gun, and then over at the shaking woman. She was saying a praying over and over, her lips flying in time whenever her eyelids fluttered as her heart raced wildly.

“Gavin,” Nines urged gently, “the gun.”

His hands trembled, but he placed it down on the ground then.

The young woman noticed it and recoiled when the gun was inches away from her nose. She gasped as she closed her eyes, and he slid it over towards Nines, and it stopped when it hit his fingertips. Immediately, he let out a sigh of relief, and in a few moments, he’d grabbed her arm in a strong hand.

Immediately, her eyelids opened widely, “NOOOO!”

He tugged her to her feet and grabbed both the knife and the gun in his free hand while Gavin watched him with pained eyes.

She slammed and slapped her hands against the android, as if it would do anything. They all knew it wouldn’t amount to much, but she was still a fighter. She screamed and kicked when her hands grew pink from the force of the beatings she was lashing out, and her energy seemed to be drained faster when her kicks led to nothing.

Knowing she wasn’t going to yield a result, she gasped, let out a choked cry, and then fell in a limp huddle against the android’s chest. He was barely able to keep her up as he gripped the knife tightly and raised it high above his head. The sharpness of the blade shined in the sun, and she threw her head back and screamed with all her might.

Nines suddenly threw the knife backwards, and it sailed past his shoulders, through the air, and fell right into the center of the murky, gross swamp.

Gavin’s eyes widened a little, and his lips were pursed, “What’re you—”

Ignoring the cries of protestation, Nines turned and flung the gun last into the swamp. It fell deep within the putrid, sickly depths with a ‘splash!’

The moment it was gone and sinking down in the murky depths, Gavin roared as he stood up and cradled his head in both hands, “ARE YOU FUCKING INSANE!?!?!?”

Nines held tightly to the woman in his arms, though she’d stopped screaming and squirming when she saw him rid himself of his weapons.

“Maybe I am,” Nines sighed in exhaustion, “maybe you made me so,” he looked down at the woman and she rested her head against his throat, her heated forehead seeping into his skin.

“—at least I can do _this._ ” He pushed away from her and whispered, “Get out of here, now.”

She practically flew out of his arms and down the pavement beyond where the van was parked. He’d never seen someone run away so quickly, but she was. Dust and dirt flew up in the air as her legs slammed down on the ground.

A heavy weight crashed down before him, then, and he tore his eyes off her back and looked down at Gavin. His head hung low, and it made Nines suddenly deflate and feel…bad. But he had no idea why he felt the way he did; he just knew he did for sure. He bent down by his side, and then shifted until he was before him.

Grabbing both his arms in his hands, he shook him once, “Gavin,” he sighed as he tried making eye contact, “just let this all go, and we can go to the police together and finish this.”

It was the best deal he was going to get.

“Surrender now, and I’ll tell them I helped you.”

It wasn’t the most comforting thing to hear, but perhaps Gavin would finally give himself up if he knew that Nines was going to suffer by his side eternally in a prison cell.

Gavin sniffed, but he didn’t raise his head, “Why would you help me n-now? After everything I d-did to you?”

Nines reached out a hand and pet him on the back, “Because I think you can do better…”

A chortle and a choked laugh escaped the man, “That’s funny and very stupid of you to say.”

“I’m serious,” Nines closed his eyes and looped his hands around the monster. When they pressed against each other, he found he really did have a beating heart after all…

“I think you just need some help, and you’ll be okay…”

He hummed softly, “Can you really promise me that, Nines?”

He paused. Could he? How sure was he that they were even going to make it out of this alive and in one piece? What was the likelihood of that even happening? Did he have some statistics to draw and measure against?

No, he didn’t.

He simply held onto Gavin as tightly as he could while he whispered in his ear softly, “I promise it’s going to be okay…I won’t ever leave you alone.”

Gavin held onto him, clutching and yanking his shirt tightly before he groaned out, “Head towards the van, I’m gonna clean up a bit here, then we’ll leave.”

Letting him go reluctantly, Nines nodded. He backed away, brushed himself off, and was stalking off towards the van behind Gavin. His back was towards him, and he stuffed his hands in his pockets as he looked at the old van growing closer and closer.

When he looked down at the sand and gravel at his feet and the dried grass, he saw the footprints of the woman as she’d been long gone, now. He truly hoped she would be safe, and a part of him even hoped she would have the baby developing in her womb slowly.

Everyone deserved a chance to live; even the monster behind him slowly getting to his feet.

Nines heard something scraping along the grass and ground and he assumed the man was dragging his feet behind him. Good. Perhaps he could lead him towards a better life. Sure, they both had a lot to pay for and answer for, but they had both done a good deed today by letting the young woman live.

There was hope, and he was going to hold onto it before the world turned dark.

“Hey, Nines,” Gavin hissed out behind him, half-wheezing and half-laughing.

He turned around to gaze at him, and then saw the large, thick tree branch swinging ahead in his face.

WHAM!

The tree branch slammed against his forehead, knocking him backwards until he fell onto his back. He was out cold after his vision ended up turning into static, numbers and data flying across his view. The sky turned black, and he heard a low, throbbing white noise somewhere in the back of his head.

He was still able to feel the vibrations of the ground as the cruel Gavin Reed took steps towards him. He was but a shadow looming over him, and while Nines struggled and fought to keep his eyes open for another second, he tilted his head down at him while holding the branch high like a baseball bat.

“I’m sorry, Nines,” he sighed out in sheer disappointment as Nines began fading out, his hands and fingers tightening on their own accord.

“…I didn’t want to have to do this, but you gave me no other choice.”

Once again, the branch swung down on his forehead.

He was completely out, this time around, and numbers slowly counted down until a red 0 sign flashed once, and then everything was silent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By far the most depressing chapter of this fic. Poor, poor Nines 😓😢😢😥


	23. I Did It My Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's song credits go to Frank Sinatra for his lovely voice singing 'My Way'.  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onWf4_yl-pY

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The BGM (Background Music) in this chapter is amazing. It all happened by accident because I was listening to Frank Sinatra while writing this chapter, and "My Way" played during it and somehow got stuck in my head, so I HAD to incorporate it in the fic one way or another.  
> I am glad I did, and I highly recommend everyone listens to it when it kicks up in the fic, it adds great tension and emotion!!

 

Nines was dragged by his leg into the old, dilapidated house one last time. Gavin made sure to check beneath the abandoned vehicle once owned by Alvin Matthew Parker to confirm his doubts and remaining suspicions. There was indeed a bomb there, and it was beeping and flashing off all kinds of warning signs that encouraged anyone who did not hold the detonator to stay away from it.

So the android had been right? Fine. It didn’t matter who was right anymore. They were beyond this, however, and he showed no sign of fear as he continued dragging the heavy android inside the house.

Nines was still out cold when Gavin threw him roughly down the basement steps where it had all begun. It had started in the room he was kept in, and it was going to end here, now. What a fitting grave and a fitting coffin…

He’d replaced the door Nines had broken down, and he roughly threw the android on the old mattress still soaked and stained with Kim Zet Nguyen’s blood. He had no gun, but this was fine; he wanted to drag this out as long as possible. Guns ended things far too quickly for his tastes, anyway.

Nines deserved to suffer in the worst way for his deceit, and he was going to make him pay with everything he had for his betrayal. His mind was made up.

He quickly walked out of the room, running up the stairs two-at-a-time so he could reach the kitchen, and that was when he remembered to lock every single door in the house. The windows were still barred, thankfully, so he didn’t worry about them as he made sure the house was sealed off.

They were going to do this _his_ way. He chipped off the doorknobs on the exits that were remaining in the home, and he yanked out every appliance from their cords and outlets he could. The house was now peaceful and silent…

Outside, the sun was starting to set, and Gavin smiled as he ran a hand through his hair and sighed in happiness and content.

“Now we can begin…”

When he looked at the timer on the stove that was still on, he heard thumping coming from downstairs. It almost sound as if Nines was bashing himself against the door that held him in the room, and before Gavin got to the basement door, he heard wood breaking with a distinct BANG!

Suddenly, every single light that was still on inside the house went off.

“Fuuuck…”

Was it a power outage??

He checked the streetlights that seemed to still be on at odd hours during the day due to punks and vandals playing around with them, and they were _still_ on…

The entire house fell into an even eerier silence, and Gavin spun around as he faced the basement door at the far end of the kitchen. It was half open, but he saw nothing except darkness peering at him.

Nines had hit the circuit breaker, and had more than likely destroyed the backup power generators, as well.

Scratching his head nervously, Gavin backed away until he was by the knife rack still upon the kitchen counter. He fished one out, making sure the blade was good and sharp as he held it up and glared at the door. He was almost afraid to blink, as if he would miss something.

“How’s this fucker up and about, already?” He whispered his thoughts to himself, but then he heard something scratching nearby.

It was a faint, small sound, and then it broke into hissing before it died down.

Gavin spun in the direction of the large double-doors leading into the dining room. Footsteps sounded from there. Someone was running for sure…

How could it be that fucking android?! He was in the basement!!

At least…he was sure he’d left him there as he went all the way up to the second floor of the house and collected his saws and hammers to begin nailing in the locks and bolting the doors and windows completely shut…he suddenly remembered that Nines perhaps didn’t need to _physically_ turn off the lights…he could’ve just burned them out telepathically.

Fuck…

He saw something moving behind the door, and he peeked down beneath the doorframe and saw a shadow quickly retreating back into the dining room.

That fucking place had no windows, either.

Great.

He swallowed his anxiety and nerves down. What was he? A chicken shit?! No!! He was the apex predator, and this was just his prey that he’d been toying with and allowing to live until it’d outlived its purpose!

It had to go…the time was now!

He smirked as he padded along the kitchen, taking one step at a time as he smiled and mustered up his own courage and confidence.

“Nineeessss?” He chuckled and sang out in a childish voice, “Oh Nineeeess!!”

There was no reply, but it seemed as if movement had ceased on the other side of the large, wooden doors.

Perfect. He was afraid too, then. This meant he had that as an advantage.

Gavin made his way towards the doors while rolling up the thick, long sleeves of his black sweater. It was far too warm to wear it, but if the house was as dark as it now was, and if Nines had his vision and scanners damaged, he had yet another advantage on his side to perfectly prey upon him.

Scratching noises came from the other side of the door again, and then heavy shuffling.

Pausing at the door, Gavin pressed the palm of a hand against it while smirking at his sharp knife he held in the other. Tapping it against the wood of the door a few times, he grinned evilly in the approaching and growing darkness that seeped in through the dirt-covered windows.

“You’ve trapped yourself in there, Nines,” he hissed out, flicking a fingernail at the door as he began pushing it open using the blade of the knife, “I’d just quit if I were you.”

The footsteps died down, and he estimated that the android was hiding somewhere close to the large table in the center of the room. He listened carefully as he closed his eyes and counted to three, and he kicked the door open right away.

It slammed open wildly and violently, and Gavin sprang inside the room with the knife raised high, ready to strike viciously and ferociously.

Only Nines wasn’t there…

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Hank knew he’d broken at least ten traffic laws as he and Connor sped through the town and headed for the address of Gavin Reed’s grandfather’s home. They’d left the Reed ranch not too long ago, driving well over the speed limit and then some. Cars honked at them and some people angrily threw their hands and heads out while cursing and flipping them off, but Hank and Connor didn’t react to it; they had somewhere very important to be.

While keeping one hand on the steering wheel, Hank reached out and shook Connor gently, “Call Captain Fowler, and take the wheel for a moment!”

He obeyed his partner as his LED light went yellow and he closed his eyes for a moment.

“Captain Fowler’s office, DPD!” He’d been able to connect immediately, and while Hank turned around in the backseats of his car, he relayed the information to their superior.

“Sir! We need immediate backup!”

He heard Captain Fowler telling someone else to shut up on the other end of the line before he gave them his full attention. “What?!?” He growled as he slammed a door, “What’s this about, Connor?”

Hank was fumbling around in the backseat, and he soon grabbed his weapons and Connor’s, making sure they were loaded as Connor steered the car into another lane. This was all proving to be a little more than difficult, but he kept his patience and temper down as Captain Fowler began screaming out.

“Where are you bozos?! Why aren’t you here where you’re supposed to be working on the—”

“Sir,” Connor interrupted, glaring angrily out the windows at the streets, “with all due respect, would you please shut the hell up and listen to me for a moment?!”

Hank paused halfway through loading a firearm, and he smirked at Connor. He then gave him a thumbs up, clearly approving of the fact that Connor had finally snapped at their boss, and Connor heard Fowler sigh.

“Fuck it, fine,” he was more than likely about to explode or implode with anger, but he let Connor talk.

“Tell me what you want to say, but you _will_ face disciplinary action and consequences for this!”

“Fine by me, Captain,” Connor made a sharp right turn. They were almost a block away from the Reed residence.

Fowler groaned, “Well?!?!”

“We’ve found the Detroit Reaper.”

Of course Fowler dropped the phone. Anyone else would have as well, more than likely. Still, he hadn’t been prepared for it, and when it crashed down to the floor of the office, Connor grunted in discomfort when the lines buzzed, and white noise scraped its way along the inside of his skull. It was rather painful to hear that screeching sound, but it was thankfully over when Fowler grabbed his phone again.

He screamed into the speaker, “YOU FOUND WHAT?!?!”

Hank winced, “Jesus Christ…”

Connor yelled out as patiently and succinctly as he could, “THE DETROIT REAPER, SIR! WE KNOW WHO HE IS!!”

Fowler roared at the top of his lungs, and both Hank and Connor had to wonder if the entire DPD was able to hear him at this point.

“WHO IS HE???” The phone vibrated as he screamed into it, and Connor imagined that Captain Fowler definitely had everyone’s attention, now, whether he wanted it or not.

Still, he pressed on aggressively, “YOU TELL ME WHO THE FUCK HE IS!”

Before Connor could answer, Hank slammed a hand down on the dashboard as he turned around, “His name is Gavin Reed.”

Captain Fowler was silent before he began panting quickly, “I don’t give a fuck what he’s called,” he spat out in a deep voice, “just fucking find the son of a whore and bring him here!”

Connor nodded as the last street came to view along their way, “Done.”

The call disconnected after Fowler assured him backup was on the way. They were not supposed to do anything without the rest of their team. As they drove onwards, they both knew there was only one option available to them: they had to sit and wait…

The vehicle pulled up the driveway of the second house on the street. They’d chosen not to park directly in the driveway of the house, even though there was some room in the driveway…it would just give them away if there was a chance Gavin was watching the outer perimeters.

Connor looked out at the looking house to the left, “So this is it…”

The entire street looked like a junkyard. Everything was old, worn down, broken, old, and abandoned. It somehow seemed so fitting and appropriate that a serial killer lived and worked here.

Connor shook as he parked the car and turned to Hank. The older man had two guns in his hands. He placed one of them in Connor’s forcefully when the android sat back in his own seat and took off his seatbelt.

When he felt the gun on his thighs, Connor glanced down at it once the car was dead silent and only the wind could be heard blowing lightly against the car.

“Hank?” He raised an eyebrow, “What’re you—”

“Fowler expects us to wait here like sitting ducks, Connor,” he sighed as he wiped his forehead and turned around in his seat once more, “and you being the stubborn bastard I have always known you to be, I know you’re not gonna listen, are you?”

Connor looked at the gun simply resting on his lap, “Hank, I—”

Chuckling lightly, Hank softly grabbed Connor’s face in both his hands, and kissed him on the lips sweetly. It was only a few seconds long, but then he rested his forehead against Connor’s while he inhaled sharply.

“I’m right behind ya, Connor,” he stated with sincerity and firmness in his voice which made the android smile in relief.

“I know.”

They both looked at what he held in his hands after he let go of Connor, and it was one bulletproof DPD vest for himself. Seeing the vest there, tangible and rough against his fingertips made Connor finally understand and grasp the gravity of the situation there.

He looked out the windows of the vehicle and gasped at the old house.

The house number plates were completely damaged and obliterated. Had he no GPS system built internally, he wouldn’t have known this house was the one they needed to be visiting. All the other houses on the street seemed to be in the similar abandoned, destroyed state; the windows were mostly all darkened and broken into by squatters, and piles of leaves, grass, junk, tires, burnt wood, torn sheets, blankets, plastic bags, shopping carts, and other furniture lay around yards and the streets and the driveways of the homes.

Not a single soul was in sight save for this specific house, and Connor didn’t need to do any further scanning to find that out.

They were walking into a ‘no man’s’ zone, and they both knew that there was nothing they could do that would help them to be 100% fully prepared. Not when they were to face a monster such as Gavin Reed…the man was as unpredictable as they came, and they were in jeopardy even parking in the street.

There was already another car parked in the driveway of the home, but it didn’t seem to be the one that Gavin had arrived in when he was meeting Hank for the first time…

Connor looked at the license plate and gasped as his eyes grew wider, “That’s Mr. Parker’s car!”

Hank nodded, “It is; fits the description.”

“If that’s not all the proof we need tying Gavin to the disappearances, then I don’t know what is!” He fumed angrily as he tightened and loosened his fists, imagining the fate that poor man must’ve gone through.

And others much like him…

Connor was shaken when Hank placed a hand on his shoulder, “Help me put this on?”

He smiled, “Of course, Hank.”

They both silently and carefully regarded each other, and the air between and around them grew heavy with some kind of danger and threat. The entire street and sky was silent, almost as if trying to tell and warn them that one of them wouldn’t make it out alive…

No!

Connor refused to be pessimistic. He was a survivor, and one way or another, they were going to bring Nines home. This was his purpose, and he had a feeling that the other android was just as much a fighter and a survivor as he was.

He was probably still alive!

Hanging onto that, he sat back and leaned against the passenger door as he looked Hank up and down with the bulletproof vest beneath his shirt, now. He seemed bulkier, but not any less worried or frightened.

He held out his arms, “How do I look?”

Connor gave him a weary smile, “You look fine.”

“Ready?”

He held onto the handle of the car door, LED light red.

“Ready.”

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

The dining room was empty, but it was much in the same state as it always was; clean-save for some boxes stacked near the China Cabinet and Liquor Cabinet, dusty, and the chandelier off and swaying in the light breeze the air conditioning of the house had once given off.

Nothing could be heard, and it made Gavin panic and feel nothing short of nervous. He looked down at the shiny, old dining room table, eyeing his own reflection in it as he scratched the back of his head. He held tightly onto his knife as he studied himself in the table, but then he heard a light ‘whoosh’ behind him.

He quickly spun around, but was faced with darkness, and the whites of the doors leading back to the kitchen.

Silence met his ears, and he glared as he raised his knife and slowly shifted his eyes around every inch and corner of the room.

“Come on, Nines,” he goaded as he smirked, “I just want to talk to you, that’s all! I promise!”

Again, silence met his ears, but he was no fool to it; he knew they were already playing a game.

He tilted his head curiously, “Are you mad at me for beatin’ ya over the head with the branch?” Cautiously, he stepped around the table, looking at every corner of the walls around it, “Or is it the fact that I wanted to play with Connor?”

That had to be it.

He smirked as the silence grew heavier.

“Are you really afraid of me gettin’ bored of you and findin’ an interest in him? Hmm?” He threw his head back and laughed in the dark, “Because it’s already happened…”

Again, he could’ve sworn he felt movement near him, but when he whipped around, there was nothing and no one in sight.

He felt his temper rising up, and he scowled in the dark as best he could, eager to make out anything. “I was planning on even inviting that Hank Anderson of his…they make a lovely couple, don’t they Nines?”

Static suddenly blared in the room, and he leapt up as he turned his back towards the center of the room, trying to find out and locate where the sound was coming from. He looked at the China Cabinet, but the glass there was far too dusty to reveal anything as far as a reflection went, and only glass and plates were stacked there…

He growled and frowned at it, “I’d of course leave Hank for you to deal with, but since you turned out to be a backstabber and cowardly cunt, I guess I’ll play with him another day…” he held the knife outwards, enjoying how it glistened and gleamed in the little bits of light from the kitchen windows that flew into the dining room, barely.

“I always did wonder what Connor would feel like if I got my hands on him…”

He was all teeth as he grinned like a vicious wolf, “Do you think he is a screamer? Or a crier?”

Suddenly, the static sound came again, and then an orchestra was playing from somewhere in the room…

He recognized the song immediately; it was Frank Sinatra’s ‘My Way’…what an odd choice, indeed.

Nines had turned on the radio that was always sitting on a stand in the far end of the room. The channel was changed to an oldies classic music station, and Gavin barely had time to turn around and look over his shoulder when the beautifully enchanting voice of Frank Sinatra sang out to him.

_And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain..._

_My friend, I'll say it clear, I'll state my case, of which I'm certain..._

He scoffed as he ignored the music. It was merely an attempt to distract him, anyway. He squinted as he tried surveying through the dark, but it was difficult as the sun was almost entirely gone from the sky.

He licked his lips, “You know, I only chose Connor because he looks like you, Nines,” he chuckled, and it was a deep rumbling sound, “do you think he can give me just what you did? Perhaps less? Or just enough?”

Two strong hands gripped the back of his sweater collar, and Gavin was flung forward violently. He sailed through the air and landed directly into the China and Liquor Cabinet, the glass exploding with a loud ‘CRASH’ as he fell forward and landed roughly on his knees.

_I've lived a life that's full, I traveled each and every highway..._

_And more, much more than this, I did it my way..._

He tried getting a hold of himself as he carefully avoided touching the shards of glass. His knife had somehow fallen out of his hands, but he didn’t look for it, first; he glared and snarled up at Nines. The android stood tall before him, clenching his fists as he rolled up his dress shirt sleeves and puffed out his chest.

Gavin got to one knee and placed a hand on the wood of the cabinet that was somehow still intact, and while he tried using it as leverage and support to stand up, Nines raised a long leg and kicked him hard in the chest.

He went stumbling backwards through the glass, sliding down on his back and ass while the glass sharply sliced through his skin.

Gavin let out a horrible scream as he rolled over and tried crawling out of it, but Nines was already approaching with steadfast determination. His LED light was red, and his eyes promised murder.

_Regrets, I've had a few, but then again, too few to mention..._

_I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption..._

While he was scrambling along the dark floors, Nines grabbed the back of his sweater in the center, bunching it up in his arms, and he dragged Gavin across the floor over towards himself. Gavin’s fingernails scraped eerily and noisily along the floors, and he turned himself over and delivered a swift kick to Nines. Sadly, the android caught it and delivered a deadly punch to Gavin’s face, no doubt a punishment for his unsavory retaliation.

_I planned each charted course, each careful step along the byway..._

_And more, much more than this, I did it my way..._

Gavin’s head snapped back, and blood poured out of his nose and mouth when Nines delivered another brutal punch to his face and lips, definitely breaking the skin in the center.

The pain was ridiculously high, but Gavin managed to smile through it as Nines leaned over and gripped the front of his sweater in his hands.

They exchanged smirks and glares, but then their eyes turned over with malice and hatred as they snarled viciously and cruelly at each other, waiting for their next moves.

Nines acted quickly, bringing Gavin up to his feet. The man swayed a little, but Nines was firm with his grip, and he roughly bashed and headbutted Gavin. Their foreheads knocked together, and while it had no effect on the android, Gavin grunted in pain as he bit his lower lip and bled out.

Nines then threw him over his shoulder after spinning around, and he sailed along the glass-covered floors.

_Yes, there were times, I'm sure you knew, when I bit off more than I could chew..._

_But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out!_

He heaved and panted, his skin cut and sliced in horrible patterns as he rolled onto his back and then chest. He was starting to crawl away again, but Nines wasn’t going to let him.

Eyeing the abandoned knife inches away from his right foot, he bent down and swiped it into his open palm. He flung it down in the center of the back of Gavin’s calf, and the man screamed as his right leg was impaled with the knife.

It was music to his ears more than the talented vocalizations of Sinatra, and Nines yanked back on the handle, pulling Gavin’s body along with brute strength and force while he flailed about and wriggled backwards.

He turned and gripped the knife handle, wincing as he pulled it out of his flesh while Nines walked over towards him and punched him in the nose again.

_I faced it all and I stood tall and did it my way!_

Fingers hooked in fabric and clothing, and Gavin began bleeding out heavily while Nines slid his body around the floor. The crimson blood appeared black in the darkness, but it shined when one looked at it in the perfect angle.

_I've loved, I've laughed and cried, I've had my fill, my share of losing..._

He was thrown across the dining room, flying and sailing above the furniture and boxes. He luckily didn’t land on them or hit them, but he knew that Nines intended for this to happen. The pain he wanted him to experience was worse than being flung around on inanimate objects.

Gavin emitted a small chuckle when he crashed down on his back a few inches away from the double doors.

_And now, as tears subside, I find it all so amusing, to think I did all that..._

Nines wrapped a hand around his throat, and for some reason, it made him laugh even more. That laughter made Nines want to choke the life out of him, and he tried. When his strong fingers tightened around the human’s throat and slowly began putting pressure on his windpipe, Gavin coughed out more laughter and then started gasping and wheezing. His face was turning purple, but Nines let go when he saw the man’s blue-grey eyes widen.

He wanted to talk…

Loosening his hold on him for a moment, Nines peered down at him coldly while being careful and ready enough to crush his throat and break his neck in half if he had to.

Gavin gasped and coughed violently, trying to swallow in as much oxygen as he was able to before Nines clasped a hand around his throat again.

He spat out blood as he snickered, “I gave you the opportunity t-to discover who you are, Nines,” he sighed as he wiped his lips with the back of a bruised and cut hand swiftly, “I brought a-and offered life to you, and now you want to offer me death?”

Nines snarled as he bashed him in the face violently with his fist.

_And may I say, not in a shy way..._

Gavin’s head snapped back, and he simply fell down to the floor in a heap. Nines kicked him as hard as he could, and he slid backwards along the floor until his head cracked against the double doors leading into the kitchen.

Perfect.

Nines yanked him back onto his feet, and as he tried opening a bruised eye to stare at him, Nines hoisted his body high into the air as if he weighed next to nothing, and he threw Gavin as hard and as far as he could into the kitchen.

_Oh, no, oh, no, not me, I did it my way..._

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Connor was already eyeing the rest of the neighborhood and yards for any signs of life, movement, and a possible trap or clue that they were being set up. It could’ve been possible that this whole thing was a trap the Reaper had concocted just to eliminate them…

Lately, it was as if Gavin had been sloppy and messy in his work on _purpose_ …did he really want to be caught that badly?

No…the Detroit Reaper wasn’t like that. He never wanted to stop, according to the profile the DPD criminal psychologist had drawn up on him. This was a blood-thirsty creature likely to carry on these heinous crimes until he died. He wanted to be remembered for these things, and he wasn’t going to give up and let anyone get in the way…

But then why stop?

Why had he left clues all over the place, especially one as simple and easy to mask and hide such as a laughter?

He’d gotten cocky, that’s for sure, but Connor also considered the possibility that the Reaper was no longer working alone…perhaps he had someone else to pass the torch onto?

Majority of these theories were ridiculous, but he had to consider them all if he wanted to at least catch this beast and learn something.

He was in the midst of coming up with a plan that didn’t involve Hank hurting himself as he scanned the house for the best, safest entry point, when he heard a light buzzing and beeping coming from somewhere.

It caught his attention right away, and he was brought back to the present time as he stared down at his feet.

He was in the driveway of the house, inches away from Mr. Parker’s car that hadn’t moved since the poor man more than likely met his doom at the hands of the Detroit Reaper…

But why was the car making such a noise?

The engine was off, as was everything else, and yet, the noise persisted…

He suddenly noticed that the noise wasn’t coming from the car itself, but rather something beneath it!

He trusted his audio receptors enough, and he followed them closely while Hank peered in through the blackened, barred windows in the front of the house and grunted when he couldn’t see anything beyond them.

Connor got to his knees and placed a palm on the pavement as he ducked his head down and peered beneath the car. His eyes quickly tracked and located the source of the sound.

His jaw dropped, “A BOMB!!”

He’d screamed it out louder than he originally intended to, and it made Hank practically trip and fall over in the grass as he gasped and scuttled over towards him.

Hank slammed a hand down on Connor’s shoulder and strongly yanked him away from the car, as if it would go off any minute. Their clothes scraped along the rough pavement as Hank shielded Connor with his large hands.

“Get away from it, Connor!!”

Connor pointed a finger at the car, clearly not displaying signs of fear or a worry about the explosive as he struggled against Hank holding him down, “The bomb!!”

Hank growled, “I saw it, Connor!!”

“I’ve scanned it for prints!”

The older male rolled his eyes as he pressed Connor against his broad chest, “So fucking what?” he began in a growl, gravelly tone, “…it’s obvious that the Reaper put it there as a tra—”

“Mr. Parker’s prints are on it, Hank!” His interruption wasn’t one the Lieutenant had been expecting or prepared for, and he stared at the android in his arms with his jaw wide open and eyes growing wider as he shook his head.

“…What???”

Connor felt irritation ebbing inside him, and he pushed the throbbing, annoying sensation aside as he gently cupped Hank’s cheeks in his hands, “Hank,” he gently turned his head over at the car while his LED light blinked red many times over.

“—Mr. Parker was an arsonist, and he had actually been sent to prison for it a few times in his youth…”

Hank wasn’t following right away, and he snorted as he looked wearily at the bomb, “S-so what?” His fingers tightened around Connor’s body, “Everyone’s done stupid shit in their lifetime at one point or another, Connor…”

The android looked down sadly, “I don’t think the Detroit Reaper placed the explosive, there, and I don’t think he is selecting his victims randomly.”

“Oh bullshit!” Hank lightly shoved Connor aside, but the android merely brushed his clothing off as he helped his partner up to his feet.

“Think about it, Hank,” Connor gestured over to the car, kicking at the long blades of dead grass as he sighed and shrugged, “Kim Zet Nguyen wasn’t targeted at random, either; she was selling her body to a drug dealer just to get her hands on Ecstasy and Red Ice!!”

Hank practically exploded in white, hot rage, “DON’T YOU FUCKING SPEAK ILL OF A VICTIM, CONNOR!” His finger jabbed into Connor’s chin roughly, though he wasn’t aiming to hurt him, “YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE WHAT SHE WAS DOING IN HER PRIVATE LIFE, AND WE ARE—”

A loud, sudden crash abruptly interrupted them, and they looked at the front door of the old house before them.

Connor took the first few steps while Hank gripped him tightly. They didn’t have much time left, and they knew it. The only thing they had to be concerned about now was how they were going to get inside the house.

As Connor stood on the front porch, he noticed that the front door had been entirely sealed off. Only a small peephole in the door provided some sort of introspective view of what was going on inside the house, but even that wasn’t entirely enough to help him; the electricity and power within the place had been shut off.

This was going to be more challenging than he thought, and he knew that this hadn’t been done for no reason; they were going to be caught off-guard at some point, especially Hank.

He’d almost moved away from the front door to circle around the back when he heard pained cries coming from inside the house…

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

Items all over the counters in the kitchen scattered and crashed down to the floor as Gavin went sailing through the room. His head bashed and rammed against cupboards, opening and closing the doors as he fell down roughly onto his back.

He’d been kicked and thrown against the center-island, knocking the chopping board off its surface. It landed by his side as he was picked up and tossed as if he weighed next to nothing, stopping only when his back collided with the very rough, very solid door of the gas stove.

He bit his tongue to keep from crying out, and soon, he was bleeding profusely as he stared up at Nines through bruised and battered eyelids. He offered the android a coy smirk, and it apparently was one of the worst things he could have done.

_For what is a man, what has he got?_

His back and shoulders slammed against a fallen chair, and he rolled over with it numerous times before he was thrown into the stove once more. As soon as his body made contact with it, his fingers reached out for purchase, and they turned the stove on while it moved to the side a little.

Nines glanced up as he noticed the stove turn on, gas immediately filling up the room and the stench of it so strong and repugnant that it was soon unbearable for the human lying in his own blood by his feet.

_If not himself, then he has naught!_

Gavin coughed as his fingers gripped his own throat, almost giving off the appearance that he was trying to massage the strength and energy back into his throat so he would be able to find his voice and talk to Nines.

The angry android shifted as he stared down at the human.

He was fallen…

The Detroit Reaper was suddenly so…small and tiny before him like this.

 _This_ was the monster feared by everyone for so long? This very man at his feet bleeding out with numerous broken bones in his body and face was the one they all were scared of?

What a joke…

It truly was almost laughable, except the smell of gas was now flooding the entire main floor of the house.

Gavin snickered and coughed once more, though his eyes gave away how he truly was feeling as he lay defeated beneath Nines.

“I wonder h-how you’ll f-feel now that you caught me…”

Nines didn’t answer his question; he heard heavy footsteps at the front door. Of course, Gavin had heard it, too. He began wheezing and heaving himself over, crawling on his elbows until he was almost out of the kitchen.

But where was he going?

The music slowly began fading away into the background, almost about to end in a climax, while Gavin left behind a long, large blood-trail as the wound Nines had given him in the calf seemed to pour forth his life flow onto the dirty, dusty floors.

_To say the things he truly feels…_

He had no light to guide him, but he made his way down the hall, and Nines could only follow him slowly as he relished in the power he gained over the weak human.

There was nowhere else for him to go, and he would likely die and bleed out, yet he was still fighting? Good.

As Nines watched on, he saw shadows out of the darkened windows making their way over on the other side of the front door, and while Gavin was gasping down on the floor, Nines shoved him out of the way by pressing one of his strong legs on his back. He wedged his foot between Gavin’s shoulder blades, and the man groaned when Nines added the slightest bit of pressure.

He wasn’t using all his weight, and Gavin was already moaning in pain. He still turned around and tried shoving the foot off his back, but Nines grit his teeth and pressed down stronger and stronger.

He wished he could burst the monster’s lungs and squash him like a grape…perhaps then he would be happy…

Blood was spat out at him when Gavin turned around powerfully. He’d squirmed beneath Nines effortlessly, but his leg was now resting upon his chest. More blood was coughed out of Gavin’s mouth, and it sickly covered his leg, but he didn’t care; he wanted to end the monster’s suffering right then and there. He grabbed him roughly in a hand, and he threw him back over his shoulder a few feet.

He wasn’t going to let him get away that easily, no way.

Just when he was about to grab Gavin again, he heard and felt something strong and heavy slam into the front door. Moments later, he heard: ‘Hello?!’

Everything inside him froze right away.

He knew that voice…

He absolutely knew that voice…

LED light turning red, he reeled back in horror, nearly collapsing to his feet when he recognized it and plenty of memories began bursting through his mind at once.

Connor…

It was Connor…

_…and not the words of one who kneels!_

Ignoring the music, the sights, the smells, the sounds, he tore down the hall and flung himself at the heavy, dark door. He must’ve sounded more desperate than he imagined, and as he pressed himself against the door, fists slammed against it heavily on the other side.

“HELLO!?!?”

He couldn’t even will his mouth to open and the words to come out…

All he could do was gape into the door, and the smallest amount of sunlight that was left was swallowed in by the dark house, barely leaving enough for his damaged eyes to take in…

He squinted as if it would help, but all he could see was another shadow wavering back and forth in the light…

If it would only move, that would be helpful!!

He grunted at the figure, trying to come up with the words to beg for it to move, but that was precisely when it turned to face him.

Nines nearly screamed.

It _was_ Connor! He’d thought that his mind was surely playing tricks on him before, and he wasn’t sure when he’d decided to abandon trust in himself, but there was no way his eyes were lying to him or fabricating this! Connor was real, and he was staring back at him eye-to-eye through the glass of the peephole in the door.

Connor backed away from the door as he leapt up in fright, and it didn’t seem like he was able to recognize the other android staring back at him until he pressed himself further into the door and peered into the peephole.

He gaped, and he suddenly called out for Hank as loudly as he could.

But there wasn’t enough time…

Nines needed to get his words out fast, already hearing Gavin stirring as he crawled down the hall and possibly towards the back door into the kitchen.

Sure, the lock was broken, and the door was sealed shut, but he didn’t want to leave the monster with enough time to think up a plan to get away.

The androids were now staring into each other’s eyes, clearly frozen due to shock. One of them had to snap out of it, eventually…it was Connor who spoke first.

Nines noticed a tear running down his cheek as he pushed out a sob, “Nines?!?!”

He nodded, even though Connor couldn’t see it.

“YOU’RE ALIVE!!!!!!”

“Yes…”

He wasn’t sure what else to say to Connor, except that he was so happy to see him. “I’m so happy to see you, Connor.”

His hand slammed into the door, “Nines! Open the door! We’re coming to get you out!!” He watched as Connor threw his head back and screamed out for Hank.

“Where has he gone to?? HANK!!!!!” He turned back towards Nines, and he placed his hand on the door right below the peephole.

“Can’t you open the door?” The knob jiggled, and Nines looked down at the side he was on.

A defeated smile was on his face, “It’s sealed shit.”

Connor screamed and kicked the door violently, “HANK!!!”

It didn’t matter where the old Lieutenant was, there was no way Nines was going to make it out. Gas had flooded the house, and he was sure Connor was on the alert to it; LED light red as he kicked at the door repeatedly.

Watching him struggle and fight for his life made Nines feel warm for the first time in ages. He really was loved, desired, wanted, and by good people; not bad ones. While he couldn’t remember everything about Connor, he knew their friendship still persisted, and that was enough for him.

Hopefully Connor would hang onto those memories for him…

He pressed his lips upwards as he cried out, “Put your hand on the peephole, Connor.”

The RK800 stopped struggling with the door for a moment, an eyebrow quirked, “What’re you—”

“Please!”

Perhaps it was the tone of his voice, perhaps it was the look in his eyes, or perhaps it was the scent of the gas from within the house. Hell, it may have been a combination of all these, but whatever it was in the end, it finally made Connor grow silent.

He quietly assessed the situation, studying the darkness behind Nines as he shook and trembled. He was somehow able to keep his composure as he waited for Connor to place the palm of his hand against the little, circular glass insert of the peephole.

When he did, Nines raised his hand up as well, and he made sure to peel away his human skin.

Connor must’ve seen or sensed it, and his was deactivated too, then.

Both androids pressed their hands on the glass, and suddenly, their eyelids simultaneously closed.

At once, they both felt a sudden rush of emotions neither of them was able to process fully. Everything was incoming at a highly rapid pace, and all they could do was stand still as they turned into statues. They remembered, they exchanged information, and they were suddenly miles and years away from this very moment…

He remembered, now.

Connor was his friend, his co-worker, his connection…and to think he’d nearly let this monster snatch him right out of his hands…

They’d smiled together, laughed together, gone out to the movies with Hank…they were inseparable…

Nines suddenly broke the connection when he heard something crash behind him.

The music suddenly reminded him of what type of a situation he was in.

Sinatra’s voice was perfect and so raw, so full of emotions…

What a lovely voice, what a lovely piece…too bad he couldn’t enjoy it all for himself. He had one final thing to do, and he was going to do it.

Before he left, he turned and pressed his face against the door, his one eye staring right out at Connor. “Take care of Hank, Connor.”

Connor looked pained, and his eyebrows were furrowed and knotted tightly on his brow as he dropped his hand away from the door, “What?! Nines!!!”

“Goodbye, Connor.”

He began walking down the dark hallway again as he willed himself to ignore and shut out Connor’s cries. He began following the trail of blood while Gavin squirmed over towards the kitchen doors. His foot suddenly crunched down on something hard, and Nines peered down at it.

It was too dark to make anything out, but his tactical senses were still fully working. He bent down and grabbed the item, tossing and turning it in the palm of his hand while his fingers mapped it out and traced its features.

It wasn’t long before Nines pieced together that it was a lighter.

Of course it was a lighter; Gavin was a heavy smoker, and it had obviously been buried in his pockets at one point, only to later be tossed out when he was thrown across the room back and forth like a rag doll.

Peering up at the man, Nines watched him crawl into a corner as his chest heaved in and out, up and down while saliva and blood coating his lips had hung down from the corner of his mouth in a disgusting string.

Nines smirked while Gavin barely held his head up and hissed at him.

“The chains are broken, but are you truly free?”

_The record shows I took the blows…_

He really had no answer for that, but when the gas hissed the way it did and churned in the air, he knew what he had to do. He didn’t want to have this monster getting away without suffering for the rest of his natural life.

Killing him swiftly would be no good, no, he needed him to suffer as he made all his victims suffer. A long, drawn out end was the perfect match for Gavin Reed, the Detroit Ripper.

Nines clutched the lighter in his fingers with determination as he watched Gavin backing away into the kitchen.

It soon became evident and apparent that he’d been heading there for a reason; he was searching for something.

As the doors swung open, Gavin seemed to know exactly where to head off to. He crawled and scampered over towards a small kitchen cupboard close to the kitchen island, and he got up on his knees as he yanked open the door and his hands blindly sought something out…

Something clicked, and Nines knew immediately it was a gun.

Silly man; bringing a gun to a fist fight? Not very smart.

Nines waited until Gavin spun around, and he swayed a little as he tried aiming and steadying the gun for the android’s head. He had almost made a clear aim, but Nines looped and wrapped a hand around Gavin’s arm carefully, and he snapped the bone back in half with little effort put into it.

The bone cracked immediately, giving a ‘snap’ sound that chilled the air, and Gavin let out a horribly long howl as he fell down in pain. The gun clattered down with him, and Nines simply kicked it out of the way as he smiled down warmly at Gavin. The sight of him cradling his broken arm was so delightfully enchanting.

“That’ll clip your wings, I think.”

He took a few steps towards him, and he grabbed him and yanked him up. The son of a bitch bit into his hand as hard as he could, but Nines was beyond the pain. He held the lighter in his free hand, and made sure to aim it at the stove as best as he could.

Gavin spat out blue blood at him as he sneered with malcontent running through him as he shook wildly, “You never loved me, d-did you?”

Nines smile widely, with all the confidence in the world.

“No, I never did.”

He threw the lighter at the stove, and he shoved Gavin as roughly as he could down the hall at the exact same time the house exploded.

_…and did it my way…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Scratch what I said last chapter...  
> THIS chapter is the most depressing.  
> Feck! 😰😰😰😥😓


	24. The Rise and Fall of Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *WARNING: GORE*

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's song credit goes to Frank Sinatra, "Something Stupid"  
> I highly encourage listening to it when it occurs in the appropriate scene, it's hella creepy!!😲😲😲😲😮😮👀👀👀
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PoSbnAFvqfA

Hank heard Connor calling for him, but he had tripped and fallen into a bag full of hard objects. His detective instincts screamed out to him to investigate, and he sorted through the trash bins and bags in the yard of the house quickly.

Most of the contents within turned out to be a lot of clothing, but this wasn’t something he was willing to ignore…these clothes were mostly women’s clothing, but also matching to that of the latest victims of the Detroit Reaper.

He half-expected to see the victim’s body still within the clothing, but of course, the Detroit Reaper hadn’t left a single trace of evidence behind.

There was a firepit not too far into the yard, and it wasn’t long before Hank pieced together that the Reaper was obviously burning his victim’s items and clothing when he caught them.

But where were the bodies?

He’d been searching for traces when Connor’s blood curdling screams couldn’t be ignored anymore. It’d meant that he’d either discovered something, or was badly hurt.

Hank prayed it wasn’t the latter, and he raced over to the front of the house and landed on the porch after he’d tripped on one of the broken-down steps.

“Connor!!”

The android slammed himself repeatedly against the front door. He’d been doing it in such a brutal, desperately violent manner that Hank began feeling like his heart was going to burst out of his chest in fear and worry. This was self-abuse, and he refused to stand by and allow Connor to do this to himself.

He leapt up and grabbed Connor’s shoulders in his hands, shaking him strongly, trying to eagerly snap him out of whatever the heck he’d gotten himself into.

“STOP! CONNOR! STOP IT NOW!!”

It was a terrible sight to see, and Connor didn’t even want to stop himself. He easily overpowered Hank in the heat of his anger and raw emotions, and he bashed himself into the door.

All while he was doing so, Hank heard him muttering and whispering to himself. He’d lost it…he had to have lost it…something must’ve snapped in Connor for him to behave this way. Hank didn’t have the smallest clue as to what could’ve triggered this, but he knew the signs were there to let him know that something was terribly, terribly wrong.

Connor’s LED light was red, and his eyelids were blinking rapidly as his eyes rolled back into his head and he froze.

“NO!!!”

Hank heard Connor whispering more, and when he was as close to the android as he was currently, he could finally piece together and hear what he was muttering.

“He’s alive, he’s alive, oh god he’s alive…”

Hank responded by shaking him, “Who’s alive, Connor?”

“He’s alive…he’s alive…”

He suddenly burst out, “WHO!??!”

Though he didn’t look at him, his voice acknowledged him as Connor remained facing the door, “Nines is alive, Hank!!”

Hank froze, “He is?!”

Connor didn’t seem to be interested in keeping up with the conversation enough to answer his question, however. He repeatedly slammed his forehead into the door while crying out continuously: “he’s alive, he’s there, he’s alive, he’s alive…”

Hank didn’t know how to stop him, but he wasn’t going to let his partner end himself this way. He was about to approach with another plan in mind, when he suddenly was hit with a very potent smell.

It was so unmistakable…

Knowing that he had to go along with whatever he was feeling in his gut and instincts, Hank shook Connor many times while also trying to pry his body away from the front door.

“Connor,” he urged desperately, “we have to get out of he—”

Rearing back, Connor roared, “HE’S THERE!!”

Those were definitely two words Hank wasn’t ready to hear. His mind began freaking out, and he drew all sorts of conclusions as to what that sentence truly implied and meant while Connor scraped his fingernails against the door and kicked at it wildly.

“HAAAAAAAANK!!!!!”

He pressed a hand against Connor’s neck as his eyes grew wide, “CONNOR! STOP!!” The smell was growing stronger, and his eyes soon began watering.

“Connor! You need to—” His head was grabbed suddenly, and Connor’s hand guided his face to mesh into the peephole he hadn’t noticed was in the center top part of the old door.

Connor’s fingers clawed and pointed at the door while he steadied Hank to peer into the peephole as best he could, “LOOK!”

At first, Hank naturally struggled. He didn’t want to look; there was nothing to see. He’d seen enough and had enough of ‘death’ and violence to last him a lifetime. If Nines was indeed alive, they had to work on seeking a way to bring him out of the house; not waste time here peering into peepholes and watching as a shadowy figure crawled towards the front door…

His eyes widened and he himself began screaming and kicking at the door, then.

“NIIIIIIIIIINES!!!!” His voice and hands shook the front door, and why wouldn’t it fucking open?!

Connor grew more tense and out of control at the sound of his voice, and they’d confirmed their worst nightmare. While Nines was still alive, it was likely that he was far beyond damaged. They barely had enough time before the smell of gas began leaking out from beneath the front door.

While Hank stared on through the peephole, trying to assess Nines for damage and what state the rest of the house was in, he saw sparks flying from further down the long hallway…

Oh fuck…that meant…

“FIRE!!!”

His brain had already pieced it together, and as soon as he saw the first rising flame, he hooked his fingers and hands into Connor’s dress shirt and was already moving them backwards so they could get away from the front door.

But Connor wasn’t moving…his eyes were trained on Nines as he crawled towards them. He was so close, yet still so far…

“CONNOR!” Hank realized what was going on; there was no way Nines was going to be able to beat the fire, and the sense of dread that flooded his system grew to be too much for him to handle. He turned away from the door while pulling Connor along with him.

When it didn’t work, he screamed out at the top of his lungs, “I SMELL GAS!!!”

Connor ceased banging himself against the door, and before he could say anything else, Hank smelled smoke…

“MOVE!!!”

Time seemed to slow down right then.

One moment, the front door was still attached to the frame of the door and the house, and then the next minute, it had blown off the hinges.

Hank had never been in an explosion before. But there was one thing he knew right there as it happened: it was nothing like what the damn movies made it out to be. It wasn’t akin to a volcanic eruption that was mystified and glorified; it was brutal, it was cruel, and it was cold.

While the flames burned hot, the situation and emotions were cold and promised death.

Hank was successful in making sure he and Connor were safe from the blast. They’d rolled and tumbled into the grass, and he shielded Connor from the impact as he wrapped his body around his lover. While that was a crazy thing to do considering how Connor was an android fully capable of being repaired, Hank couldn’t bear the thought of the slightest bit of harm befalling his lover.

He pushed them further down the pavement of the parking lot, and they rolled behind Mr. Parker’s vehicle.

As the roof of the house caved in and dark, thick smoke rose out of it, tons of glass and debris flew downwards and formed a little mountain. The wood was all on fire, and everything was being hungrily devoured by the fire in less than a few moments.

The flames danced and snaked their way down the grass, scorching it and savagely draining away whatever life was left over in it, and it wasn’t long before the fire began spreading all too quickly.

While Hank held tightly onto Connor, he knew that it wouldn’t be too long before his lungs gave out. The smoke was far too heavy and too much for him to take at his age.

He’d tried hiding and masking the fact that he was coughing and soon choking, but it was no use pretending. His hold grew loose around his android lover, and his arms soon turned into jelly as he collapsed on the grass.

Connor snapped out of his shock and fear, and his instincts and programming surrounding protecting and saving human lives kicked in, finally. Ignoring what he’d been feeling, his main concentration and focal point now became saving Hank’s life.

Quick as a bullet, he snaked his arms around Hank’s waist, and he dragged him gently through the grass as they got to the other side of the street.

He was so lucky he’d moved the man, for it wasn’t after they’d settled in the front yard of the house across Gavin’s, when Mr. Parker’s explosive went off due to the smoke and gas crowding around it.

Another explosion as wild and potent as the one that had shaken the house made the car burst into many pieces. The glass shattered and flew into the air, and Connor ducked his head down and made sure Hank’s was protected and shielded as well.

They both closed their eyes while sirens blared off in the distance.

In the mess of it all, Connor knew his programming and protocols had kicked in again, and it became evidently clear to him that he’d contacted emergency services and Fowler yet again. How long he had been ‘disconnected’ from it all not to notice??

Perhaps that was how Hank had been feeling as he worried enough about him to try and pry him away from the door…at least they were safe together now…help was on the way!

They’d responded quickly, thankfully, and an ambulance was the first thing in sight, followed by a few fire trucks.

All sorts of city workers and men and women in uniforms rushed out. The street that had once been so abandoned and ‘dead’ was now busy and bustling with life and noise, like an anthill on a hot, summer day.

Colors flashed before their eyes, and plenty of people swarmed over Hank and Connor. Fire blankets were draped on Hank, and soon, a stretcher was laid out while two burly EMS workers grabbed him and hoisted him onto it.

Connor rose with them and placed a hand on Hank’s chest to comfort him. He wanted to get into the back of the ambulance van with them, but some movement towards the front lawn of the house caught his eye…

NINES!

He shoved his way out of the crowd of reporters and officers trying to ask him a billion questions, and he threw himself by the figure that was partially signed and burned.

“Nines?!?” Connor didn’t dare touch the figure covered in smoke and ash, but when they turned around to rest on their back, he felt a horrible sense of dread and fear coursing through him.

As he got a little closer and scanned the body, he found that its flesh was badly burned, almost appearing deep pink and it hung down in some areas. Blood and tension was high, and more smoke and clouds moved away, revealing that flesh and open wounds were visible, and muscle and bone met his eyes…

Hair had been burned off, and the figure was panting and gasping for air while flailing around the grass, trailing blood everywhere as he put himself out of a little fire clinging onto his boots while still being covered in ash and flames.

It was Gavin…

It was the Detroit Reaper…

He’d made it out alive, and Nines was nowhere to be seen.

“NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!”

How dare he make it out alive with barely even third-degree burns, while Nines was more than likely suffering and stuck somewhere inside the house?! Why?? Why was he still living?!

Connor bashed his fists into Gavin’s chest repeatedly.

“NO!!! NOOO!!!!!! NOOOO!”

All the Detroit Reaper was able to do in terms of defending himself from the harsh, rough blows was to hold up both his hands and cover his head with them while Connor let loose on him.

“WHY IS IT YOU?!??! WHY ARE YOU ALIVE?!?!? WHYYYYYYY?!?!?”

Reporters began snapping photos quickly while others started up their live broadcasts of the event.

He didn’t care.

Let them record it all forever if they so desired and wished.

Nothing was going to stop him from murdering this son of a bitch. Nothing, and no one.

Before he could continue his murderous assault on the burnt man, strong arms grabbed him and lifted him off the ground.

“CONNOR!!!”

He recognized that voice immediately.

Spinning around to face Captain Fowler, Connor grabbed fistfuls of his uniform shirt in his hands as tears spilled forth from his eyes.

“CAPTAIN!!” He gestured over towards the fiery, crumbling house, “HE’S STILL IN THERE, SIR!!!”

He was shaken as Fowler’s face was inches away from his own, “WHO IS??”

“NIIIIIIIIINESSS!”

At the sound of their loud voices, the house groaned and gave one final rumbling shake of energy before it fell flatly to the ground. Smoke billowed and flew about into the air, causing a large, long, thick heavy cloud to fly up onto the sky. It hung above their heads like the looming threat of death they would all have to eventually face, but it didn’t affect Connor, personally.

He just wanted to see justice delivered, and he wanted to see it _now._

They all stood back and allowed the fire department to do their job, and when all the water and time had been poured into making the fires die down, Captain Fowler hung his head down sadly and rubbed Connor’s back.

“You need to be with Anderson, Connor,” he offered as he tossed him a small, sympathetic half-smile that was beyond weak and broken.

Connor shook his head, “No, I refuse to just—”

Fowler took a step closer to him, “He _needs you,_ Connor,” he admitted in a stern tone while his eyes grew sad and hurt, “please don’t leave him alone like this.”

This was a situation he’d never anticipated and expected he’d ever have to face. While he’d long ago mastered the art of human emotions and feelings, there were a lot of them that Connor still didn’t understand and know about.

Pain was one of them; it seemed to branch off in a million different paths and directions, and he had no idea which path he was going to be thrown in next. While he was grateful Hank was alright, there was still a pain masked behind the joy of being alive still present within him; regret. He was psychologically torn in the direction that beckoned him to seek revenge and to make the death of Nines mean something…if only the Detroit Reaper had died…

He sadly looked down at Gavin’s body which was being placed onto a stretcher as well when a breathing mask was placed around his mouth. The EMS crew was careful with how they were handling him, and officers began holding back the crowd of spectators much like hungry vultures, looking to feast and devour the first sign of ‘drama’ for the sake of sensationalism.

Connor repressed a shiver of disgust, and said no more.

He turned and got in the ambulance with Hank, holding one of his hands in his own as he soothingly rubbed the skin and pressed his head against Hank’s chest right where his heart was.

His eyes were trained on the other ambulance van which Gavin was loaded into and transported to the hospital immediately.

Connor silently prayed he would end up dying on the way to the hospital, but he momentarily forgot about his own anger when Hank’s heartbeat lulled and soothed him to close his eyes to the horrors of the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

It was obvious that Nines hadn’t made it out alive, and while he was allowed to search through the fallen rubble and mess, eventually moving to the yards and the small patch of woods located behind the house, Connor found nothing.

Soon, a search party and team of firefighters and volunteers from all over gathered to help out after the fires had been put out, but they also couldn’t find Nines.

It wasn’t too long before the forensics and other evidence mounted and pointed out that plenty of thirium had been found inside the kitchen of the house. Soon, an android arm was recovered…

Though these things were kept away from the media, the facts were presented and delivered to Captain Fowler. Within days, the entire DPD held a meeting, and then something close to a ‘speech’ as Captain Fowler encouraged everyone to stay silent, not to speak with reporters or news outlets, and to just stick to their own jobs and take care of themselves and their families.

Both Hank and Gavin had to be hospitalized for a few days in the Intensive Care Unit, though they were thankfully in separate wards and Gavin’s room held a lot of security officers both outside and inside the room.

Connor stayed by Hank’s bedside all day and night, constantly making sure he was comfortable, warm, and on the road to recovery. He spoke to him while he slept, and sometimes when the nurses weren’t watching, he would get under the covers with him and just lie in bed with him and place his head upon his chest.

His heart was beating steadily and calmly, and it wasn’t much longer before he was able to stay awake and form coherent thoughts.

No serious harm had come to Hank Anderson, and the entire DPD was soon visiting him and throwing him a wild congratulatory celebration for the fact that he and Connor had brought down the Detroit Reaper once and for all.

They’d all been in the middle of popping open bottles of beer and cheering Hank and Connor when Captain Fowler burst in the room with a nurse trailing behind him with a flushed face.

She looked angry to see all the officers running about and trying to pull Hank out of bed. She shooed them out in a hurry, waving her arms at them while yelling and screaming at them to let the man rest and have some time to himself.

Captain Fowler wasn’t about to let that happen, however.

When everyone else was gone, he made sure Connor stayed behind, and then closed the door tightly.

He pulled a stool by Hank’s bedside, and made sure Connor was seated before he whispered out before the two of them, “They found a lot of damning evidence against Gavin Reed.”

Hank rolled his eyes, the bags beneath them way too prominent and deep. His hair was slightly messy due to the number of hours he’d rubbed it against the pillow, and it stood out on all sorts of odd angles. He appeared to be tired even before their conversation began, and Captain Fowler visibly winced when he saw the dirty glare Hank offered him.

He scratched at his beard as he coughed, “Please tell me that fucker’s good and dead, Jeffrey,” he groused with an irritated brow raised, “or so help me God, I’ll—”

“He gets life in prison without the possibility of parole, Hank,” Fowler stated as he pressed his hands on his kneecaps and looked over at a disheveled and upset Connor.

Connor’s LED light went from red, to yellow, to red again, and he collapsed on Hank’s bedside as he held his head in his hands.

“He killed my friend,” he sobbed, “and he _only_ gets life in prison?!?”

Hank snarled, “This is bullshit, Jeffrey!!”

“You think I don’t know that myself?” He held up a hand as he closed his eyes and changed three different vitriolic and pained facial expressions, “He’s something of a fucking ‘celebrity’ now, Hank! There’s no way he’ll get sentenced to death, and you and I _both_ know that!”

When Hank didn’t reply, Fowler rubbed the back of his head as his shoulder slumped downwards, “The law ain’t perfect, but it’s the best shot we got at keeping the rest of the world safe from this son of a bitch!”

“He killed Nines!!” Hank screamed out, and it seemed to be the same thought Connor had. He couldn’t find his voice, however, but he wiped his eyes and nodded.

Fowler sighed again as he stared down at the shiny floors, “There was some evidence found that suggests Nines was…is…fuck!!” He slapped his knees with a hand as he stomped his feet.

Hank pressed a hand against his mouth, and Connor closed his eyes and shrieked. There was no way to soften the blow, and a loss such as this was going to be impossible to recover from.

Connor clung to some hope, and while his eyes were still shut tightly, he whispered, “He could still be trapped in there, Sir! Have someone else check it out!!”

Fowler held up a large hand to signal for him to stop, “Connor, we’ve already gone back and checked the place at least ten times,” he looked at Hank with remorse, “there’s nothing suggesting that Nines made it out alive.”

Hank spat, “You’re lying!!”

There was a strong likelihood that Hank was even more angry than Connor was, but only for his lover’s sake. It was an anger that was vicariously shared between them, with Connor feeling the impact of the loss the most.

Captain Fowler wished nothing more than to be able to console and comfort his employee and friend, but he knew he was absolutely powerless. The best he could offer was a few phrases and words of promises that Gavin Reed would suffer behind bars.

“Connor, Hank,” he began carefully as he regarded them both equally, “the Detroit Reaper won’t ever see the daylight again, and you both should be proud of yourselves for that.”

Connor exploded in anger, “But Nines—”

“Shhh,” Captain Fowler urged as he pressed a hand on Connor’s knee softly, “I’m gonna leave you two alone, but before I go…” he dug his hands into one of his black dress pants pockets and pulled out a large piece of paper.

He waved it in the air for a moment while his brows were set down low firmly on his forehead, giving him the appearance of being angry, when he was being serious. “This is a photocopy of the only thing we were able to salvage from the Reaper’s home.”

When he unfolded it and stretched it enough, he approached the little table by the bed meant for storing Hank’s food trays. It was luckily cleared, and he placed the page on it while Hank craned his neck to look at it, and Connor eventually joined Captain Fowler before the table.

The picture had squared panels of photographs. The photographs were of men and women of various ethnicities and backgrounds, and Connor recognized one of them immediately.

His finger pointed at the center piece photo, “Kim Zet Nguyen!”

Fowler nodded, “Yes, Connor,” his hands failed about as he looked over at the other people in the photos next to hers, “recognize any of these people?”

Hank gave the photos one look before he rolled his eyes, “Give me a break, Jeffrey!”

Fowler counted all six people on the page, “If you don’t want to participate in this, Hank, you could at least stay silent and let Connor take a look.”

Hank paled from that, but Connor whispered out, “They’re all criminals…”

“What??” Hank tilted his head at him.

They knew Connor was right, as he’d scanned all the people on the page.

“They each have a criminal record,” Connor stated as he turned to face Fowler completely, his lips open in an ‘o’ shape, “even Mrs. Nguyen had a really bad drug addiction…”

Fowler nodded, and Hank grumbled, “So fucking what??”

“I suppose you already know that Mr. Parker also had a criminal record, and a new victim is willing to testify against Gavin Reed during his trial and hearing.”

Both Hank and Connor let out gasps, “WHAT??”

“There was _another_ victim?!” Hank coughed, “Jesus Christ, Jeffrey!!”

Fowler backed away as Connor poked a finger into his chest, “What victim?!?”

He sighed, “Well, a ‘would-be-victim’,” he corrected as he shook his head, “my choice of words—”

“She’s willing to testify in court?!”

That was all they needed to put Gavin Reed behind bars for sure, but Hank still pressed on with his question, and he’d repeated it once more before Captain Fowler growled.

“Yes, Hank,” he grunted as he collected the photograph page, “Her name is Melanie Wardell, and she can fully recognize him, as she already provided an apt description of him…well…” his face heated up, “before he suffered those burns, anyway.”

Hank nodded, “Good, served that fucker right.”

No one was disagreeing with that, but Connor chewed his lower lip as he pressed a hand around Captain Fowler’s broad shoulders.

“Sir,” he looked down almost fearfully, though it wasn’t his superior he feared, “about the bodies hidden in the wall of the Reed ranch?”

Captain Fowler held up a finger, “Yes! They were obviously the rest of the family members, but the son of a bitch never killed his grandfather.”

Hank sighed, “I don’t care why, but since Connor will ask, why?”

“I don’t know.”

Connor had his own theories and reasons, “I think it was because he identified more with his grandfather than anyone else…the way he was buried seems to suggest that it was a show of gratitude and worship…”

Hank’s nose and eyes wrinkled up, “Sick fuck.”

“Sir?” Connor began again in a soft tone, “What about Nines?”

Fowler sighed in exhaustion, and it seemed as if he wanted to leave the hospital now, “What about him, son?”

“I want…” he nearly choked on the words, but he pushed them out somehow, courageously, “I want him to have a proper funeral and burial, sir.”

“Connor,” Fowler began softly, “I told you that they weren’t able to find—”

Hank grunted, “Jesus Jeffrey! The man deserves recognition!”

Connor nodded as tears flooded down his cheeks, “Please,” he begged in a small, soft tone that hardly befit him, “if it weren’t for Nines, Hank and I wouldn’t have made it out alive, and the rest of Detroit wouldn’t be able to finally be at peace…”

Fowler crossed his arms over his chest and gave one strong nod, “You’re right.”

He stuck out his hand for Connor to shake, and when he took it, he held him to his chest as he offered him a short hug.

“Just remember,” his breath was very warm against Connor’s ear, but it didn’t comfort him much, “I’m proud of you _both._ ”

His hands pet Connor firmly on the back, and he nodded at Hank appreciatively, “Nines didn’t die for nothing, and now the world can breathe a sigh of relief now that the Reaper is gone.”

Hank and Connor exchanged sad looks, but as far as the truth went, this was the real world they were living in. Connor had heard rumors that an android arm had been salvaged from the old house the Reaper had hidden out in, but he shrugged them off to simply being rumors. If there was any truth and confessing to be done, he would wait patiently until Captain Fowler confirmed or denied the rumors.

However, if there was any piece or part of Nines still out there, he wanted to bring it back home and bury it in remembrance of his friend. He could do that, at least, and for the rest of his days, he vowed to always think of Nines whenever things grew too difficult.

Nines really was now a banner of inspiration, hope, and light.

He backed away from Captain Fowler just as he brushed off his uniform and straightened out his tie before offering him a small smile.

“Thank you, Connor,” he looked over at Hank and nodded, “you too, Lieutenant. You rest up well, and we will stay in touch about the progression of the case.”

Hank saluted him, and he turned and exited the room, leaving the lovers to find comfort and solace in each other.

It was hours before either of them could finally settle, the room as quiet and dull as the darkness gathering outside.

Both men knew nothing would be the same after everything that had happened. Due to the Reaper, they’d both been changed, drastically.

However, perhaps change wasn’t always bad…

Maybe they had a new day to look forward to, as the darkness soon faded away at the light of dawn.

~~~~~~~~~~~********~~~~~~~~~~~

**8 MONTHS LATER**

 

****

 

_I know I stand in line until you think you have the time to spend an evening with me,_

_And if we go someplace to dance I know that there’s a chance you won’t be leaving with me…_

The lights were dim and dull in the little hallway leading up to the bullet proof glass and transparent walls that were the new home of Gavin Reed, also known as the Detroit Reaper.

An old record player was in the cell, and it blasted Frank Sinatra while the man with bandages all over his face and body sat on his cot and swayed in time with the beat of the music as he closed his eyes and smiled to himself. The tune grew eerie as it echoed up and down the hall as he sat segregated from the world, off in a land of his own.

_And afterwards we drop into a quiet little place and have a drink or two, and then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like “I love you!”_

Newspaper clippings about the Detroit Reaper being caught were plastered all over the walls and door of his cell, almost commemorating what he used to be…the life he used to have…

The most recent one had announced that the bodies of the victims had been found in an incinerator, and their bones located in the forests behind his now demolished home.

A lot of superstition had been built around the murders, and the street had been rumored to be haunted, even. A small cult following had gathered and mowed the grounds with salt, as if to vanquish evil spirits…

The stupid charlatans.

_I can see it in your eyes that you still despise the same old lines you heard the night before, and though it’s just a line to you for me it’s true, it never seemed so right before!_

Life in prison wasn’t so bad; they let him have any music he wanted, he could watch any TV shows or movies he so desired, and he was left all alone in his own special place. He was kept away from the rest of the inmates, and a lot of the officers and orderlies even left him alone, for the most part.

He’d faded away into existence not too long ago, but he knew the world would absolutely remember him every time the news announced another crime or murder…

Yes…he was content with leaving such a dark mark on the world after all.

He threw his head back and sighed while singing.

_I practice every day to find some clever lines to say to make the meaning come true,_

They were never going to let him out, and while he was content with ‘rotting’ in prison for the rest of his life, he knew they were never going to be able to capture his mind and work. Those were immortal, after all.

He giggled and cackled while the bandages dangled as they came slightly loose when he waved his hands up and down.

_But then I think I’ll wait until the evening gets late and I’m alone with you…_

The door leading to his segregated area opened, and footsteps walked and marched down the long hallway until they stopped right before his cell door.

He hadn’t heard them completely, as the lovely voice of Mr. Sinatra was far too amazing and captivating to demand anything except his full attention completely.

Someone was calling out to him, but he ignored them.

_The time is right, your perfume fills my head, the stars get red and oh, the night’s so blue!_

“Mr. Reed.”

It went missed the first time.

“Mr. Reed!!”

It was a feminine voice, and he stopped as he flashed his teeth like diamonds in the light.

He spun around and faced her, “Good evening, Beth!”

The female officer glared at him, and she hid a secret behind her eyes as she avoided looking into his own, “You have a visitor, Mr. Reed.”

He didn’t stop smiling.

“Oh?”

She gave a curt nod, “Yes.”

“Wonderful!!”

He’d never been so excited, and he got up from the bed as he held out a hand and pressed it against the glass, “I’ll be happy to see ‘em!”

Before she turned away, he grunted after her, “Wait a moment, Beth…”

She stopped in her tracks, the back of her blonde head facing him before she slowly spun around on her heels and faced him with a grimace.

He knew he didn’t look a thing like himself anymore, and any mirror they’d installed in his cell had been broken. They hadn’t been able to save much of his skin, despite their best efforts, and any further work was going to have to take serious skin graft surgery. He’d been on a suicide watch, and the dumb fools thought he’d used the glass to harm himself…what fools.

At least his arm wasn’t broken anymore…

It would all be fine if he never had to see himself again, that was it. Why did they always make such a huge fuss out of things?

He watched her wring her hands nervously as she bowed her head down.

“This visitor,” his tongue clicked against his teeth as he smirked viciously, “is it a human, or an android?”

She tugged at her bun at the back of her head, and she seemed very apprehensive as she looked at everything and, in every direction, but in his. As avoidant as she was, she gave off a weary, exhausted sigh.

Finally, she crossed her arms as she repressed a shiver. It made him drool, and it practically gathered in the corners of his mouth.

“Not sure,” she answered as she was already turning back out of view, “but he has one arm, if it makes any difference.”

_And then I go and spoil it all by saying something stupid like “I love you!”_

_I love you…_

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for a Q&A Chapter in a few days, but 'Hell's Flames' is now officially over!! 😲😲😲🤯🤯👌😭🎊🎈🌹  
> Thank you all for reading this crazy, disturbing fic! I know it was rather gruesome in some places and horrible in terms of what happened to Nines and his treatment from Gavin, but I really wanted to bring something totally new to the DBH table! 
> 
> Many thanks for EVERYONE'S lovely comments, thank you to those who supported me as I struggled a bit while working on this fic, and thank you once again to ANYONE who enjoys my work. As I said before, the BEST gift ya'll give me is your time, and I truly hope I made it worth it, and I hope I never disappointed anyone!
> 
> Have a great week, everyone, and stay happy and safe
> 
> 🌹🌹🌹❤❤💕💕💕💕


	25. Q and A Chapter

**Question and Answer Chapter**

This chapter is an extension of a comment section I received from a user regarding some ‘loopholes’ and open-ended issues in ‘Hell’s Flames’, and I am very happy to answer these questions!

I also would like to invite further questions after this point (should people have them), because I’ve been told that ‘Hell’s Flames’ was unlike anything I’ve ever written before (which I think is a GOOD thing hehe), and there’s a chance that it still has some people baffled and confused.

I’ll do my best to answer the few I was sent, so here we go!

 

 **Q #1** : What was Gavin’s motive for murder?

 **A** : This is tough to answer, but I will elaborate as much as I can. Basically, his motive is deeply psychological, and it even goes so far as to try to alleviate _some_ pain and trauma his grandfather’s crimes caused him.  
If you notice carefully, Gavin’s ‘final’ victim was a prostitute. Who was the _first_ victim Gavin’s grandfather picked out? A _prostitute._ This is one answer and motive here: Gavin is in a sense reliving his grandfather’s crimes, but unlike his grandfather, he’s trying to give himself a cause and a purpose for the murder. He knows his grandfather was a monster, but he himself doesn’t think he is one, (if you go back to the 4th chapter, at the midway point he even asks Nines: “…just what kind of a horrible monster do you think I am?”) which is why he pointed out to Nines that the woman was pregnant, and she was basically ‘unworthy’ of life and therefore deserved punishment.  
  
That is one separate answer by itself, and the other answer I have is that Gavin truly suffers from delusions of grandeur, narcissism, as well as megalomania. These are hinted at throughout the chapters, and I can point to a specific point in the fic as an example.

In chapter 4 (‘Preparing Chicken’), close to the end of the chapter, Gavin says to Nines: “Really? You’re all exactly the fuckin’ same…”

Gavin literally is in a world of his own, and that world is on a plane of existence far _above_ Earth, due to his mental issues. He doesn’t see civilians as human; he sees them more as pests and insects beneath him that he every so often needs to stomp out with his boot, therefore, that’s why it is a lot easier for him to murder, and that is a huge motive, as well.

And finally, since this fic is very open to personal interpretation, you could even push it as far as saying: Gavin had no motive at all to murder, and this fits, as well. It doesn’t matter if his victims did horrible things; there’s NOTHING altruistic about Gavin’s motives, period.

I wrote Gavin as a very unpredictable character, and I did it because he has a mental illness. He isn’t meant to be understood easily, and it is very obvious and a well-known fact that murder is NEVER okay!!! Whatever reason and motive Gavin has in his mind, it’s just plain wrong and horrible, and he was much better off getting help as Nines begged him. However, then again…he _is_ mentally unwell, and won’t ever actually _want_ help. His megalomania keeps telling him he’s perfect the way he is, there’s nothing wrong with him, and that’s all that matters to him.

  
**Q #2** : Did Gavin ever lie to Nines about his upbringing/past?

 **A** : Not at all. As seen and demonstrated especially in chapter 5 –‘Two Truths, One Lie’, as well as chapter 22-‘He Who Saves a Single Soul’, Gavin was _always_ honest with Nines from the very start. You could also say and notice that he was even honest with Hank and Connor when he met them outside the coffee shop, where he mentioned that he worked in the line of ‘butchery’ and ‘meats’, which wasn’t too far of an exaggeration.

For every word Gavin has said, there is a truth behind the statement.

Now, this is not to suggest Gavin was ever a ‘nice guy’. He was _not!_ Just because someone is honest about something very messed up, doesn’t mean they’re good and a sincere individual. Gavin was getting cocky and over-confident about his crimes, and when he had Nines murdering with him, he just was at the top of his own world, and he thought _nothing_ and _no one_ could bring him down.

Also, the article about the Reeds that Connor found highly implied that Gavin’s grandfather was abusive, as it mentioned that he was originally suspected of having killed his family, which would mean that when Nines learned about Gavin’s past in chapter 16-‘Child of Darkness and Rain’, everything there was also the way things happened in reality.

 

 **Q #3** : Does Gavin love Nines?

 **A** : Oooooh this is my favourite question!!! I get to rant, a LOT!

Short answer, yes, in his own messed up way, he really did care for Nines.  
  
Now for the long answer, I can say ‘yes’, and ‘not really’, and I will explain why. Since Gavin is hinted at being a sociopath numerous times throughout the story, it is kind of argued that sociopaths are incapable of loving and caring for things and other people as those who are _not_ sociopaths would care.

Gavin honestly sees Nines more as a ‘commodity’ and an asset, and he had no issues stating that. For example, go back to chapter 15-‘Courting in Ebony’, and refer to this quote by Gavin: “Already my influence has captured another…the body count will grow, he-hehe-hehe.”

If it wasn’t already clear, Gavin cares more about _his own_ influence; not the fact that he has a partner. He is obsessed with his own power, his own bidding, his work, and he objectifies Nines any chance he gets (e.g. always calling him ‘Plastic’, or ‘Robot-Bitch’). Nines was never a _person_ with an individuality for Gavin, and it was pretty sad and difficult for me when I was writing Gavin’s dialogue 95% of the time.

But on the other hand, in his own messed up way, Gavin does love Nines. I’m not talking about the sex and graphic content for my example, here, I’m mostly talking about the fact that Gavin often referred to Nines as: ‘Babe’, and in chapter 14-‘The Lord’s Prayer’, he even tells their future victim that Nines is his lover. He also mentions this to Connor, but although it is for the purpose of a disguise, there is truth to it, as Gavin and Nines start ‘cohabiting’ and operating like a couple (e.g. celebrating the first murder Nines committed with cake).

Sadly, a lot of that ‘love’ all came with a price, and that price was ‘complete obedience’. That’s why Gavin placed a collar on Nines and treated him a slave/pet. Gavin loves Nines in the way someone just casually loves and wants a pet, and nothing deeper due to his mental illnesses. Unless Nines was 100% following Gavin’s orders, then he was all lovey-dovey with Nines. But the moment he chose to rebel against him, Gavin saw it as a personal attack, and he even mentioned in chapter 23-‘I Did it My Way’ that Nines was cowardly and betrayed him.

It was all ‘conditional love’, at best.

 

 **Q #4** : Did Nines ever love Gavin?

 **A** : This is another question I will enjoy answering, but it won’t take too long to answer it, haha.

Short answer, no!!

Nines was _always_ inherently good. He put up a _huge_ struggle and battle with Gavin, and he was constantly looking for a way out, and to help victims escape whenever he could. He only snapped in ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ because Gavin said to a victim: “You. Are. Not. Going. Anywhere”, and as I mentioned in that chapter’s author note, that was a key phrase that made Nines snap as he remembered the moment he was sexually violated by Gavin in chapter 8-‘The Simplest Pleasures in Life’.

Back in chapter 6-‘A Job to Do’, Nines concludes that the only way he can survive is if he ‘bonds’ with Gavin, and that includes doing things he doesn’t necessarily agree with or want to do.

Consider this quote from the chapter: Nines didn’t understand his enemy, and he couldn’t predict him, read him, follow him, or talk to him. He had no information about his past to go off of, and he knew he was slowly running out of options when his system formulated an entirely new plan and idea that would boost his chances for survival by 100%...

 

**BOND WITH KEEPER.**

Sadly, that included a ‘sexual’ bond, but Nines wasn’t entirely aware of it or could predict it.

Nines never wanted a relationship with Gavin, and he never wanted to be his life-long partner; he was merely operating for the basis of survival, and any attraction coming out of these two was one-sided, and it was all coming from Gavin’s delusions, really (that’s also why one of the tags for this fic is ‘One-sided attraction’).

 

 **Q #5** : What is Gavin’s sexual orientation?

 **A** : Good question!!

Some people may _not_ appreciate or like this answer at all, but here is the honest truth: he is actually heterosexual!!!

Yes, you read that correctly, Gavin Reed is straight!!

But why was he having sex with Nines and enjoying it? Really easy answer: because Gavin uses sex as a powerful tool for control, manipulation, dominance, and as a threat to keep Nines in line. Now, that’s not to say he did _not_ enjoy the sex, because Gavin especially _always_ enjoyed having sex with Nines (I won’t go into details, you can draw your own conclusions).

However, it was the _power_ Gavin was getting off on; not just the sex alone.

Anything he did in terms of homosexual sex (both to Nines as well as talking about it with Mr. Parker in chapter 14-‘The Lord’s Prayer’), was meant to make people feel uncomfortable, and for power. It’s not unheard of for serial killers to do this, by the way (Richard Ramirez, Ted Bundy, and Jeffrey Dahmer ALL used their charms and sexuality to lure victims).

A strong example of this power dynamic using sex occurs in chapter 17-‘Contact’, and think back on this exchange between Gavin and Connor:

“Wild sex, Connor,” he threw the cigarette butt down on the pavement and put it out with a crunch of his boot, “I had wild, rough sex with my partner, okay?”

Connor: ‘Oh…’

The RK800 felt embarrassed, and a twinge of jealousy. He held his head down and nodded, eyes darting from side-to-side. “I see…” he coughed, “I didn’t think you were…you know…”

Here is the single key word: ‘ _embarrassed_ ’, and that’s _precisely_ why Gavin talked about wild sex with his gay lover. Anything Gavin does in terms of sex is just to make people uncomfortable, otherwise, he’d be a lot more ‘reserved’ and private about his sex life, because the topic of sex isn’t one many people go blurting out to NEW friends they make!

Now, how does all this imply Gavin is straight and likes women?

Go back to chapter 8-‘The Simplest Pleasures in Life’, and refer to this quote from Gavin talking about murdering a Traci he picked up from the Eden Club: “and I wanted to fuck her, but she was an android, and it’s not my thing,” he snickered, “so I just forcefully put the bitch in ‘shut down’.”

Also in the same chapter, Gavin tells Nines he’s never slept with a man before, and we _all_ can agree this _is a truth_ , because Gavin doesn’t lie a lot in the story-if at all.

If you really had to ‘push’ to pin a label and an explanation on Gavin’s sexuality, I would say that at _best (_ if you reeeaaalllly squint), he has bisexual tendencies and curiosities, but I wouldn’t say he is flat out bisexual. Needless to say, he’d never carry out sexual acts with Connor or for example, Hank.

But why did he engage in phone sex with Connor? For power. It was all power-play, truthfully, so that is the end of that particular loophole, I think.

 

 **Q #6** : Is Nines dead/what is his fate at the end of the story?

 **A** : I’ll keep this answer brief, because it is kind of open to interpretation for my readers, but the way I wrote it, the answer is a little obvious!

Nines _is_ more than likely alive.

The logic and reason behind it is due to Captain Fowler, Connor, and Hank knowing that after the explosion, an android arm was indeed discovered in the wreckage of Gavin’s grandfather’s home. This is an indicator of Nines having gotten away somehow, and the female officer even tells Gavin at the end of the epilogue that the person coming to visit Gavin has _one_ arm, but she doesn’t mention if the visitor is an android or a human.

Now, this could be someone entirely random and creepy, and if that’s the way someone wants to interpret it, they’re more than welcome to, but I didn’t label or tag this fic as ‘Major Character Death’ for a _very_ good reason.

 

 **Q #7** : What’s with Gavin’s selection in music?

 **A** : I think I somewhat touched upon this, but I will quickly answer this final question!

Gavin picks the songs he does to get a message across to Nines. Throughout the story, almost every other chapter has a song, and I posted the full lyrics on purpose. That purpose is to show and provide evidence about Gavin’s thoughts and feelings regarding Nines.

I feel that Gavin can’t fully express himself as regular people can, as well, because he more than likely thinks of feelings as a sign of ‘weaknesses.’ He feels _something_ for Nines, but I think the only way he can covey that without ruining his own ego and pride is to turn on music and have the lyrics match, as well.

Eerily, Nines also picked this up from him, which is why he played ‘My Way’ by Frank Sinatra in chapter 23. A lot of that song’s lyrics really depict how Nines saw his ‘relationship’ with Gavin.

For example, consider and think about these sets of lyrics: _Regrets, I’ve had a few, but then again, too few to mention…I did what I had to do, and saw it through without exemption..._  
_Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew, when I bit off more than I could chew..._  
 _I faced it all, and I stood tall, and did it my way!_

_But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out!_

If this isn’t an accurate portrayal of Nines struggling with Gavin, I don’t know what is, frankly. Nines basically had to put up with a lot coming from Gavin and regretted it all badly (the sex, the murder, the abduction of the final victim), but he did it all regardless, and he did it to save LIVES.

Yeah, he really _did_ do it HIS way, you could argue.

Music is important to Gavin more than Nines, and he even mentions back in chapter 4-‘Preparing Chicken’ that he is very disappointed with what has happened to the music industry.

I also chose older music to be creepy, though, lol, and I won’t deny it!

 

I hope that answers these questions properly, but if you guys have more, by all means, feel free to write me and I will comment back!!!

Once again, thank you to _anyone_ who enjoyed, read, or even glanced at this fic for a second! The best thing you guys gave me was your time and your thoughts, and I really enjoyed writing and completing my second-last fic for this website!

Thank you to all those who made the experience amazing!!!


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